First Daughter
by Sessediz
Summary: Serena's life is changed one night in more ways than one. Her father, Senator Kenneth Kelly, has just been announced as the next President of the United States of America. Red, white and blue balloons fall from the ceiling as the new First Family graces the celebration stage but when a gunshot sounds through the grand hall, Serena fears the life that her father has chosen for them.
1. Chapter One - Prologue

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

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 **Sessediz**

 **Plot:** AU – Serena's life is changed one night in more ways than one. Her father, Senator Kenneth Kelly, has just been announced as the next President of the United States of America. Red, white and blue balloons fall from the ceiling as the new First Family graces the celebration stage but when a gunshot sounds through the grand hall, Serena fears the life that her father has chosen for them.

 **Rated M:** Language and romance, minor violence

As a preface, I know that there are a couple of stories centering on Serena being a daughter to the US President and with Darien (or Seiya, etc) being a member of the Secret Service but I promise that my stories are, as always, original.

There will be some politics involved as this story continues, but no parties will ever be mentioned and the subject will be used only as needed to progress the plot. Inspiration will be pulled from sources such as: Madam Secretary, Alpha House, Scandal, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The West Wing, (and one day probably House of Cards, when I get a chance to watch it), and hey, who knows, maybe The Blacklist will become relevant (not in a crime way).

 **Additional disclaimer before we get started** : I mean no insult to any current or previous presidential families, the Uniformed Service or any other government agency mentioned in this story. Everything written is purely fiction and although research has been done to make this story more lifelike, that is not to say that everything is factual in regards to how things are handled in the United States government.

Reviews of all kinds are much appreciated! :)

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 **Serena Kelly:**

"Serena, stop picking your nails," my mother ordered as she continued to pace a hole in the floor. "I know you're not going to school tomorrow but is your homework done?"

I nodded, "Yeah, and Sammy completed his too." My brother was eight years old and more often than I would like to admit I wished I could have as little homework as him. It was my senior year in high school, the year I should be freaking out about what college to attend or what I'll wear to prom and yet here I am, in the backstage area of a hotel's conference hall. "How much longer?" I asked, looking up at the muted television screen.

We had been sitting here for a few hours now, waiting for the poll numbers coming in. Dad was in the lead when they started announcing results but then Senator Anne Granger came out on the top and it had continued flipping till the last few states. It was looking like a close race and I was anxious to just get the final answer. "The polls over on the California side are about to close. They'll final the tally of the first count and then we'll know… hopefully. Most elections get called at around 11 p.m. though Bill Clinton once got declared at 9 p.m."

My father had been busy talking with his campaign manager and running mate for the last hour but he should have been out by now. I looked over to see Sammy sound asleep. Within the next half hour or so we would know if we were now the First Family or not and the last thing I wanted was for Sammy to look grumpy and sleepy in the photos with dad. I only hoped his vest and pants weren't too wrinkled.

My own outfit didn't seem too 'presidential,' but I'm only the daughter; it was my mother that had to look diplomatic next to my father. Though he had been campaigning for some time now, I still wasn't used to this life. Before, I would make special appearances as a senator's daughter but now I was expected to the look the part no matter where I went. The cardigan I was wearing was the one I had worn for the only job interview that I had ever had and that was for Burger King; a job my mother made me quit when our parents told us that dad was going to run for president.

"Hey, hey," I rubbed his shoulder and watched as his eyes opened slightly. "Wake up, sleepy head."

Sammy brought his balled up fists to his eyes and rubbed them gently, "Did daddy win?"

I smiled, "Not yet but it's time to get up. Want a soda?" My mother shot me a glare. "Com'on, mom, it's 11 p.m. and you want him to stay up for at least another hour or two. Let him have it." My mother relented and I pulled Sammy onto his feet.

I remembered there being a row of vending machines down the hall and I had enough pocket change to get us both a snack. As we neared the corner Beryl, my father's assistant since forever, came into view, "Serena, where do you think you two are going?"

"Mom said we could get a soda."

Beryl's eyes widened, "Out there? Serena, your family is just a handful of votes away from being one of the biggest military targets in the world. You have to accept that your life might be changing drastically in just an hour."

I resisted rolling my eyes. "Mom said we might know sooner. We just need a snack, Beryl. It's late and we're tired."

Beryl thought for a moment and nodded, "I'll have something brought to the staging area. And sometimes things happen. Who knows, we could be here all night."

I felt Sammy tug on my cardigan, "All night?" I shook my head and then looked back to the tall red head.

"Alright, but Sammy only likes MUG root beer or 7—."

"Or 7UP, I know Serena." Sammy is at that age where he knows exactly what he wants and when he wants it. He's not too picky or rude, he just has preferences; like dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. "Now, run along."

I hate it when adults say 'run along.' _I'm eighteen_ , I wanted to remind her.

I had just turned in the applications for my top three choices for college and one of them already sent back my acceptance. Of course that one was Georgetown University in D.C. and I knew my mother wanted me to choose them so that I would be close. I didn't see the point in choosing a college just because it was close to home… well, a home I couldn't even call ours yet.

When we returned to the staging area I found that my dad had returned. "Hey, Cherry Berry," he said enveloping me in a shaky hug. _I've never seen him so nervous._ "Truck Man," he tousled Sammy's blond hair with a pat on the head. My parents have been calling my little brother 'truck man' since he was a three-year-old with an affinity for Tonka trucks. One year the cake we ordered was incorrectly decorated or maybe we picked up the wrong one; it read 'happy birthday' with a few rainbow daises on the top. I had already given Sammy his new toy truck from me and he smashed it in the cake to help 'clean up the dandelions.'

"What's the word?" I asked as Beryl returned with two 7UPs and two of those Little Debbie pumpkin snacks.

"Still waiting on Cali, Nev, Org…" my father trailed off. My mother's eyes stayed glued to the television as she clutched her pearl necklace.

"Kenneth, if you're going to be the president you have to say the full names." My mother had turned quite anal lately about the 'dos and don'ts of a United States President' and if her imaginary chart had anything to say about it, my father was certainly not the perfect fit.

I opened Sammy's soda and downed my own. "Be careful, Sam. Don't get anything on your nice clothes." We only got halfway through our snacks before my father's campaign manager appeared.

"Who gave these children food?" he snapped. Damon was a thirty-eight-year-old man intent on getting my father the presidency. I wondered at times if it was because he believed in my father or perhaps he just wanted the acknowledgement that _he_ was the campaign manager that helped President Kenneth Kelly to the Oval Office. _Wow, that almost sounds weird_. I guess my father was also using the white-haired hipster-dressing man for the young votes, seeing as my father still calls his profile page ' _The_ Facebook.'

"They were hungry, Damon," Beryl defended. Though she herself could be annoying, I was glad that after this was all over Damon would no longer be around. _Unless dad loses and tries again in four years_.

It was the first time I had had that thought since the primaries; _do I want dad to win?_ If people could read my mind, they'd probably think I'm a rude and selfish brat who doesn't care about her family, especially my father. On the contrary, I love my father very much. It's because of that that I worried about him winning.

As soon as we won our party's nomination my father started getting death threats. It hard to tell how many of them were just angry people riled up by the cultural divide and how many were severe promises. I never got to hear the details of them unless they were listed on the news, but the Secret Service agents assured my family that we were well protected.

I was informed by Beryl that if we won in November we would see more Secret Service agents in our lives. My mother, brother and I would each have a personal agent while my father would have three to himself and they would follow us pretty much anywhere outside of the White House. Of course, there would always be more around at events and definitely throughout the White House but Beryl said that we would basically befriend the agent assigned to us. I wasn't too excited to have someone always looking over my shoulder, snooping in my drawers and waiting by every door. _I hope they give me a female agent._

"Bertie," my mother gushed as the woman walked into the waiting area. Bertie Diann was my father's running mate; a woman only seven years older than him but with white hair like a grandmother. Her husband, Artemis "Arty" Diann, was also becoming somewhat of an embarrassing grandfather-type to Sam and me with his magic tricks and dorky jokes.

I remember seeing the first roadside signs with their names together, "Kelly & Diann, Making the future of America today." It was such a simple slogan but the supporters loved it nonetheless.

"Artemis is just so worried... I don't know what to do with him," Bertie looked over at her husband with restful eyes. I loved how Bertie held a powerful stance on fashion. She wore a silk or chiffon scarf every day and they always seemed to be different. Seeing her made me want to rifle through her wardrobe.

Her long white hair was always in a bun and I never saw it down, but I wanted to. My brother spoke up, "Miss Bertie, when will you and daddy win?"

Bertie walked over to us and sat down, "Well, we don't know yet if we'll win, sweetie, but the answer should be here soon."

"Oh, you'll win, alright," Arty spoke up. "Hey, Sam, wanna see what I can find in your ear?"

Bertie tried to stop her husband but Sam was too excited and jumped at the chance to see what Arty could pull out of his ear this time. Sam leaned over the other sofa as Arty reached towards him pulling a hand back before revealing two pink Starbursts. "That's my favorite!" Sam yelled before Damon glared at him for making so much noise. "Sorry, Mr. Demon."

I almost spit out my soda.

"Sammy!" my mother rushed over to him, "That is Mr. Damon. Day-Mon not Dee-Mon. Now, apologize, young man."

Everyone was too busy with the current situation to notice that the news anchor was now talking about the results being in from the last few states. "Shh!" I pointed to the television set trying to get everyone's attention. "Hello? The results!"

Damon unmuted the speakers and we all held our breath as the newswoman began—

 _"And from Nevada the first count shows a win by Senator Kelly."_

A few more states were announced and although we won two more, Senator Anne Granger won another three. We were so close to getting the 270 and everyone wanted to celebrate but if Granger snagged California the race would be over and she would win. Sure, we had won Ohio, but that's not a 100% guarantee. _I can't believe how close this election is_.

 _"We've just received the results from the state of California which…"_ the newscaster had a slight momentary paused. I wasn't sure if it was just me who noticed it but the look on her face read that she must have realized that she was getting to announce the next _projected_ United States president; being that the vote wouldn't be finalized till December. _"California has been won by Senator Kelly. The votes are in and the results currently show Senator Kenneth T. Kelly of Delaware as the next President of the United States of America."_

The television turned black with a single click and Damon was in front of us, "Alright, First Family, you're up," he announced proudly. My heart started beating out of my chest. _Oh my God._

Arty nudged me with an outstretched hand, "Everything changes now, milady." I nodded hesitantly and let him help me up. Arty leaned in and brushed my long hair off my shoulder, "You'll do just fine; just be sure your brother stands still for the photos."

I smiled back at him as I readied my game face from my soccer days. "Com'on, Sammy," I said, reaching for his hand. He still had the Starbursts wrappers crunched inside and I moved them to his pocket. Damon lined us up and I watched my mother standing proudly with my father who no longer looked like a nervous wreck. Bertie was as cool as ever and Arty wrapped her arm through his. _This is it_ , I thought as Damon cued the announcer.

"Presenting your President-Elect, Kenneth Kelly and Vice President-Elect Bertie Diann!"

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheering as we filed out to the center stage; dad and mom in front, Sam and I behind them, and Bertie and Arty behind us. In our pairs, we each held hands and with our free hands we waved at the booming crowd.

Red, white and blue balloons and confetti littered the open air and my sight was additionally blinded by the slew of camera flashes. Some people were chanting "Kelly" while a few others piped in with "Diann" but an overwhelming "USA" sounded over the others and it made the entire scene invigorating. I smiled like I had never smiled before and beamed at the sight. Sammy held my hand tight and did a great job of looking 'cute' as Damon always said he was best at doing for dad's campaign.

I didn't realize just how noisy the grand hall had become from the celebrations until all the blood ran from my body and I threw myself down to the ground covering Sammy entirely.

A gunshot had erupted throughout the room and everyone was ducking for cover. Screams now replaced the previous chants and it was almost deafening. Dad, mom, Bertie and Arty were all crouched down on the ground as Secret Service surrounded us in a circle. Two agents pulled on my arms but my initial reaction was to fight it.

"Miss Kelly, we have to go," a male voice recited. I looked up and everything seemed to be in a dizzying fog. "Miss Kelly," the man said again as he pulled on my forearms.

I must have blacked out because the next thing I knew we were backstage again with a man physically checking my father for wounds. _No…_

"When is the car getting here," one of the agents asked.

"As soon as Control confirms there is a clear path it will be brought up to the side entrance," another stated.

"Did they find the shooter?" their questions trailed through my mind as I tried to wrap my head around the last ten or so minutes.

I looked to Sammy who was paler than I felt. "Sammy," I whispered, holding his face in my hands. "Are you alright? Sammy?"

"Did they shoot daddy?" he asked shakily. I quickly looked to the left to see my father consoling my mother. Dad nodded to me as he brought mom to us.

"No, Truck Man, daddy's alright."

The rest of the night, and leading up through the morning, was the most stressful night of my existence thus far. We weren't allowed to go to the hotel room that we were booked for anymore. All of my stuff was sitting either in the drawer or my suitcase and I mildly wondered when I would get my things back. _That doesn't matter now._

The agents wouldn't say where we were going just that it was a safe house. It was late when we arrived and I looked at the simple little building thinking about how regular the place looked. _Is this really safer?_

I remember the sound of my mother crying and my father talking with Beryl about updates on the situation. Sammy and I had to share a bed, nothing that we weren't already used to from previous hotel stays, and he tried hard to stay awake but luckily his body gave out around 3 a.m.

That left me there holding him with a suited man sitting stoicly in the chair beside the bed. His right hand was out of view but it was bent at an angle leaving me to believe it was resting on a gun.

 _This is my life now._


	2. Chapter Two - Inauguration Day

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

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 **A/N:**

 **Did some research on call signs and they tend to be terms or vocabulary words but I opted for codenames because I spent too long trying to figure out what words I should even use haha!**

 **As for Artemis not being paired with Luna, most of my fanfiction characters are chosen based on hair color or other physical traits. I wanted someone with white hair to be married to Artemis since they are supposed to be older. However, they are planned to be minor characters in this story so they will not appear often.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows so far! Keep them coming :)**

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 **Update/July 20, 2018: I decided on new codenames for the family!**

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 **Darien Shields:**

"Alright. Bring it in, bring it in," the head of Control, Mr. Alan Chiba, announced. "President Jules and his family will be departing for the last time at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning. The new First Family, the Kelly's, will be arriving at the Capitol Building for the Inauguration at that same time. Now, everyone at the White House will be assigned a list of jobs for turning this place into the Kelly's new home so don't be shocked that _everything_ will be different. It really is amazing what the staffers can do in only five hours."

I nodded slightly to indicate that I understood and continued to listen to Alan Chiba with our instructions. I had been working as a Secret Service agent since right before Election Day, a day that I don't think I could ever forget.

Somehow, someway, something fell through the cracks. A man with a gun entered the grand hall and attempted to assassinate the then President-Elect Kelly. The man had just been announced as the probable winner of the long-winded race and already his life was in immediate danger.

I had rushed to the form the other agents were swarming the families into and watched as they crouched in fear. Fear was pumping through me too but I was trained to forgo those thoughts. My duty was to protect the people on that stage and I would gladly lose my life doing it.

"I will now list off the agents who will be assigned as protective details to the president and his family as well as the vice president and her husband. I thank you all for the astounding interest in these more demanding jobs. It does me well to see hardworking Americans intent on protecting our most important families."

Part of me thought that I wouldn't get one of the open positions. I hadn't been here too long, though I had been through vigorous training for a long time prior, and there were plenty of us to choose from. Being chosen as a detailed agent meant longer hours, less sleep and definitely less social time. My life would be dedicated to this job, but it's not like I had anything else going for me.

"Adams, Janson and Wilton, you have been assigned to President-Elect Kenneth Kelly," I glanced around the room and saw the selected agents have an interior ' _yes_ ' moment but no one said a thing. Their heads bobbed and Mr. Chiba went on, "Henderson, you are assigned to First Lady Irene Kelly." I looked to the pixie-haired blonde and gave her a short nod.

 _There's the first two._

"Shields," I perked up. _Who did I get? Vice President Diann? Her husband?_ "You have been assigned to Serena Kelly." _What?_ I stood there reeling from the quiet announcement. Serena Kelly was eighteen-years-old and the eldest of the Kelly children. _I can't believe I was chosen._

"Furuhata," I looked to see another man about my height but with sandy blonde hair, "You'll be with Samuel Kelly." The man nodded before looking to me. _Guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other._

After he announced the agents for the vice president and her husband, Alan Chiba informed us of their call signs. Serena would be known as 'Luna' over our radio callers and her brother would be 'Sirius.' I mentally worked at memorizing all the other's call signs before feeling confident. _Everything's moon and stars themed_.

"Now, the last thing you each need to know is that tomorrow's Inauguration Day swear-in and parade will go just as normal. An attempt was already made on the new First and Second Families but as there is still not enough information to clarify who was the exact target we will still need to be on high-alert when the families are in public spaces. However, that is the job, agents. As for the new president, his first job is to swear an oath to this country to uphold the Constitution and defend the rights of the citizens," Alan Chiba paused, "Let's make sure he can complete that job as well as each one he is tasked with over the next four years."

 **Serena Kelly:**

"Ken, sweetie," my mother reached over to my father, "your tie is crooked again."

"Ilene, it'll be fine," my father rested a hand on her leg before reaching up to fix his pale blue tie.

I always preferred it when my mother called my father Ken instead of Kenneth. Saying Kenneth usually included a mild insult or nitpicky statement. When she would call my father Ken she was that young woman who was in love with the aspiring businessman she met back in college.

We were all nervous.

Nothing major had happened since that November night and I was a mix of glad and worried. The man that had shot at the stage was found but he put a bullet through his mouth to the back of his head before they could detain him. There was no note at his residence and no information had surfaced on why he could have wanted to hurt us or if there were more with him. Nothing except a few social media posts where he shared videos or pictures against my father's campaign.

Dad was alive. All of us were alive, but it left so many questions unanswered.

One of the agents in the car with us whispered into his earpiece and then looked to my father. "The staging area is ready and Madam Diann has already arrived. You and your family will be introduced to your details and Chief Justice Roberts will go over the procedure once more with you and Vice President-Elect Bertie Diann."

In just an hour my father and Bertie would no longer have the addition of 'Elect' on their titles. _This is it_ , I thought as I looked at Sammy who was playing with the finger trap that Arty had given him back at the hotel.

"Here, lemme help," I whispered as I pushed his two fingers together and released the woven trap.

He smiled, "Thanks, Serena."

The car rolled to a stop and the other agent in the vehicle said something in his mic before nodding to the agent from before. "Yes, The Eagle and Nest have arrived." The tinted windows of the car had been calming before but now I realized what they had done to my vision as the side door swung open.

Cold D.C. air and blinding sunlight poured into the seats. I shivered as I watched my parents make their way out, Sam and I following suit. Each of us were wearing peacoats; my mother and I wore two different shades of red, my brother in light brown and my father in a black coat over his suit. My hair was pulled into two chic but messy buns with each having their own thin ponytail. All that anyone could really see of my outfit was a pair of black hosiery and closed-toe flats.

We were led into a room where there was light finger food and drinks with several men and women in black suits with ear pieces. _Great._ Though there had been an attack in November, we weren't to receive special details until today, Inauguration Day, and I was not looking forward to it. I could take care of myself and Sam and if I had anything to say about it, neither of us would be subject to the public eye all too many times over the next four years.

A man I recognized as the Chief Justice was standing in the corner of the room talking with another man quietly. Justice Roberts was holding onto that Holy Bible tightly and it made me nervous for some reason. The man turned away from him and started speaking.

"Welcome, Senator and Mrs. Kelly. I see the children are doing well," the older man smiled. _I'm eighteen._

"That we are. It's a big day today," my father beamed. If there was one thing for sure about my dad it was his presidential smile. I don't know much about politics, not that I mind to, but he definitely looked the part to me.

"Indeed. Before we get started I want to introduce to you the men and women of the Uniformed Service that will be accompanying your family for the foreseeable future. Each one has been hand-selected by yours truly and I do hope that your family will feel safe in their presence." This must be the Mr. Chiba my parents told me about. He was in charge of the Secret Service though I was informed I would not see much of him but rather his agents during our stay at the White House. _I wonder what my room will look like_.

We had gotten to choose some decoration elements for our rooms and supposedly everything would be situated in its rightful place when we got to our new home for dinner that evening. I remember my mother bringing home paint swatches for Sammy and me to choose from. Sam took the liberty of organizing the colors based on the mood they gave him and we were each given suggestions.

I accepted his suggestion of 'lemon chiffon' and requested a pink rectangular rug with a light pink trim for the sitting area off from my bed. Sam thought the light yellow would brighten my mornings in the White House and I sincerely hoped that it would.

I hadn't been paying attention to what Mr. Chiba was saying until I heard my name, "Miss Serena Kelly, Agent Darien Shields will be your detail." I looked over to see a tall man with short black hair and bangs walking towards me. He stood in front of me and paused for a moment.

"Darien Shields."

I waited for another moment for him to gesture for a handshake before I decided to do it myself. "Pleased to meet you, Agent Shields." Without batting an eye he reached his hand forward to shake it.

"Mr. Samuel Kelly, meet Agent Andrew Furuhata."

My brother's jaw dropped as the tall blond man walked towards us, "You're so tall!" he exclaimed. The man chuckled, knelt down and took my brother's hand.

"You're pretty tall yourself, Sam."

"I go by Sammy, Mr. Furry—uh Furryhat."

My face turned as red as my coat but then I realized that everyone was chuckling. _Whew, that went over better than that time Sammy called my father's campaign manager 'Mr. Demon.'_

Shortly after everyone was introduced, dad and Bertie disappeared behind a wall with Chief Justice Roberts as we all conversed lightly about the upcoming events. Agents Henderson, Shields and Furuhata stood off to the side as my mother reminded us for the umpteenth time to 'smile, but not too much,' 'clap when appropriate and do so lightly,' 'shake hands with all who introduce themselves' and so forth.

"We got it, mom," I tried reasoning with her, "We're just as stressed out as you; why don't you got talk to Arty or someone to calm down?"

My mother shot me a glare, "Young lady, you will not talk to me in such a manner and," she looked around and got a tad quieter, "not in front of the Uniformed Service."

I crossed my arms, "Well, mother, as of ten minutes ago they'll never _not_ be in front of us so I guess I'll talk to you in four years." I knew my mother wanted to chime in an ' _or eight'_ but I walked away before she could embarrass herself.

There was a water fountain in the middle of the lobby and several plants on stands. It almost looked like a small conservatory and I inwardly wondered when our first day off as a family would be. I circled the room once before I realized that the only other person in the lobby was the man who was introduced to me earlier.

I turned and looked at him, "Can I help you?"

He stood still and didn't seem thrown off by my question. "Miss Kelly, I am here to watch over you."

I rolled my eyes, "Isn't this place surrounded by men in suits with little earpieces? And the whole city is guarded right now; don't you think I can take care of myself for right now?"

"I'm sorry that you feel that you don't need me but it is my duty to watch over you. I will stay out of your way as much as I am able to."

I sighed and went about walking around the room again. I figured we had a lot of sitting and standing today so I wanted a chance to stretch my legs before the day continued. After the third rotation I started talking to the agent who was waiting by the entrance I had taken to the lobby.

"What was your name again? It's already been a stressful day and I'm afraid I cannot remember."

The man smiled, "Shields. Agent Darien Shields."

"Darien, huh?" I waited for him to correct me but he just stood there with his hands in front of him. "So are you going to follow me twenty-four hours a day? That sounds exhausting."

Darien pursed his lips, "No, just for events or activities outside of the White House such as your school."

I groaned, "Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Not only do I have to change schools halfway through my senior year but now I have to have a stiff following me around."

"It's the job," he replied. I was amazed at how still he could keep his body. Once, when I was younger, I was in a church Christmas musical as a choir member and the robes were too hot for them to not have the air conditioner running. I ended up collapsing on stage from both locking my knees and being overheated. Darien looked like he could stand in that position for several hours without faltering; like those British guys.

I stepped forward cautiously, "So are you, like, not allowed to talk to me?"

Darien smiled at me for a second and I started to look closer at his facial features. "I can talk with you it's just that I'm currently on duty. Talking is a distraction." His blue eyes bore into me and I felt my breathing hitch. Darien's black bangs where cut just short enough to stay clear of his eyes and I wondered how soft his hair actually was. _It looks soft._

 **Darien Shields:**

"I do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of…," President-Elect Kelly stated to the Supreme Court justice. I surveyed the staging area again and then focused my attention on Serena Kelly.

Her long blonde hair was tied up into two buns with ponytails falling from them. It was an unusual style but somehow it suited her. She was shorter than me; _but average for her age, I suppose_. I noticed that she had started rocking on her heels a bit and, at times, would bend her knees before straightening up again. _Come on, your father is becoming the President of the United States, can't you stand still?_

The gathered crowd erupted into applause and I heard Mr. Chiba from my earpiece telling us to survey the mass of people. I almost started bobbing my head like when I lifeguarded at my local waterpark but quickly adjusted for a more subtle examination of the crowd. Everything seemed in order and the festivities went on.

Through the parade I kept a good look on Serena and occasionally her brother Sammy. He seemed like a sweet kid but I would bet he would be a handful for Andrew. Sammy started to get restless and I watched as Serena leaned over and whispered in his ear. Her long blonde hair fell over the armrest of the chair she was in and when she pulled back to readjusted the sections behind her shoulders. Sammy stopped moving for a bit and Serena leaned towards her mother.

I didn't mean to eavesdrop but again, it was part of the job… in a way. I heard Serena say "food" and her mother seemed a mix of upset and understanding.

"Before too long now," First Lady Kelly whispered. There was a dinner planned at the White House this evening to conclude today's celebration and I would be lying if I said I weren't excited to see my new room as well as to try some of the famed-delicious White House food.

Once we were back in the limousines, I started talking with Andrew; quietly, of course.

"Hey, when do we get room assignments?"

Andrew shrugged, "I think Amara Henderson said that Mr. Chiba will give them out once the guests leave and the Kelly's and Diann's are shown to their rooms. But there's supposed to be time for us to have some one-on-one with our assignments."

I looked to Serena and saw that she was busy watching Sammy play a game on his handheld. "Isn't there a better term to call them, I mean, they _are_ the First Family now." My stomach growled.

"Beats me. You looking forward to dinner?" I nodded.

"Don't they feed you, Agent Shields?" I heard Serena say.

I turned to look at her, then to Andrew and back to Serena. "Well, yes, but that's doesn't mean I don't get hungry again. Are you not ready for dinner?"

She smiled, "I'm always ready for dinner."

"Me too!" Sammy announced. We all chuckled and laughed at the statement as we pulled into the gates of the White House for the first time. "Wow," Sammy beamed.

Both of them had their faces pressed to the window looking out at the lit-up White House in front of them. In was a telling sight and although the mansion traditionally was marked with beaming white lights, tonight was special; tonight the lights beamed the colors of our country.

It made me smile for a moment before Andrew nudged me. "Not gonna cry on me, are you?"

Serena flipped her gaze back to me and I sat up straight. "No, just looking at our new home too."

It's been a long time since I've had a real home. Staying with occasional girlfriend in short waves didn't really seem to count. No, I think that living with my mother before graduating high school was as true as I could ever imagine… that is, without my father around.

My father, Gabriel Shields, had passed away when I was seven years old. He had been a policeman in New York City the day of the Twin Towers' collapse. My mother always taught me that the most honorable thing you can do is to give to others. My father had given his life, and because of that so many others were still alive today.

When I graduated I knew that I needed a break from the city. It was becoming too heavy for me. I hopped from state to state for a while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and my mother let me. In some ways I don't know if I could ever forgive her for that. When I finally got the message that she was sick I tried to get back to New York on the bare amount of money I had.

I could make it day by day but with having to get home with a route of 1,000 miles ahead, nothing would be speedy. Time was of the essence and when I arrived that Tuesday morning to the hospice center she had passed away two hours earlier.

That was three, almost four, years ago.

 **Serena Kelly:**

"And this will be your room, Serena," Beryl stated. "Everything should be in order but please do let me know at breakfast if there are any issues or concerns. Darien's room will be just across the hall and you already know how to get a hold of him should you need him. Any questions?"

I cracked open the door to see the beautifully decorated room with crown molding on the ceiling, the few requests I had made, and the contents of my old bedroom. I turned back to Beryl, "No. Thank you, Beryl."

She nodded and headed down the hallway with Sammy. I closed the door behind me and began to search my new room. The long dresser held some of my trinkets and faerie figurines, the tall one had my large model of The Black Pearl that I had finished building last year and the vanity held my jewelry box and makeup sets.

The bedroom had its own personal bathroom and I ran my hand over the clean, white tile of the walls. There was a footed-tub with a hoop shower curtain in the corner and a plush pink bath mat.

"Wow," I whispered to myself. Back home I shared a bathroom with Sammy which was covered in toothpaste, toy cars and mix-match towels.

When I circled back to the bed, I flung my body onto the surface and smiled at the plush softness. "I could get used to this, I guess." I heard a knock at the door and wondered who it could be. _Please don't be Agent Shields._ After our brief meeting together tonight, and what happened at dinner, I was too nervous to see him again this evening, maybe ever.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and my mother poked her head in. "Hi, sweetie."

"Hey, mom. Where's dad?"

My mother walked over to the bed and I noticed that she had switched to flats. "Busy getting his first day ready; he has a lot of promises to get in motion for the first 100 days."

"Yeah."

We sat there in silence and I wondered why she had come in here at all. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess. Why?"

"That young man Agent Shields seems nice."

My eyes widened and I propped myself up on my hands, "Mother, no. Please don't. I heard the talk in seventh grade, ninth grade, when Wesley asked me to Homecoming, when we went on our first date, that time that I went overnight with the girls for the volleyball tournament, prom with Joshua, I get it. And he's my _agent_ so I know there's no shot with him." Not that I wanted to date him anyways. He's gotta be at least four years older and into way prettier girls than me. _And a total jerk._

"I'm just saying that I can see how you might be… attracted to him but yes, you are right, he is off-limits."

"I get it, okay? Is that what you came here for?"

"Well, I guess with Agent Shields around I don't really have to worry about you so much." My mother stood up to leave and almost made it to the door before I spoke up.

"What does that mean?" I scooted off of the bed and walked towards her. "You think I won't have a boyfriend while I'm living here?"

"I didn't say that; of course you can have a boyfriend. I just don't see how it would be a problem for a mother to feel safe with someone watching over her daughter."

"Oh, so I'll never get a private moment with a guy again?" She didn't respond. "You know, I'm not planning on being here for the entire four years. I do have college to attend."

"Hopefully not too far from here," she smiled.

"Oh my G—, mom! I'm not staying here just so that I can 'be around you,' you do realize that, right? I need to go out and live my own life. Did you ever think to ask me if I _wanted_ to move to Washington, D.C. or that I might not _want_ to be one of the most targeted people on the planet?"

"You're angry."

I grabbed the mounded balls on my head but resisted pulling them out. "No shit I'm angry. Neither you nor dad have talked to me _once_ about what happened on election night and I'm supposed to just be okay with that? I'm going to be nineteen this summer; am I still not old enough to be worried about my own life? _My_ future?"

My mother stepped towards the door, "We'll talk in the morning. I have to go check on your brother."

I ran over and screamed into my pillow. _How the hell did I end up with_ her _as my mother?_

A half hour or so passed by as my cries turned to silent sobs and I realized that the room was far too warm for me to get sleep that night. I searched around for a thermostat and changed it from 73 degrees to 65. _That's better._ After I got dressed and settled in bed I thought about my meeting with Darien.

" _So tell me about yourself, Miss Kelly."_

 _I shrugged. "I don't know what to say. Maybe you could ask me some questions to get started? That might help."_

 _Darien smiled, "What are your hobbies? Do you play any sports?"_

 _"Volleyball, but my last season just finished. I like music, old T.V. shows and art."_

 _"Were you any good?"_

 _"Volleyball?" he nodded, "Yep, made captain this past year but I don't think I'll do it in college."_

 _Darien leaned back in his chair and picked up one of the deli spirals from his plate, "Well, what kind of music and shows?"_

 _I pulled my feet out of my shoes and stretched them out, "Any music, really. I'm an avid Spotifyer; always looking for something weird and new to listen to. As for shows, I mostly watch the ones that are off the air or have been out for several seasons already. I don't like getting invested in something that might never be complete."_

 _"I like finding new music too. Maybe we can share artist names sometime. What about art?"_

 _I thought for a moment. Technically I could do anything. Paint, draw, sculpt, you name it. "I have an array of specialties, actually. I love to paint on canvases, but I much prefer to look at the great works in museums. I promise they're better than mine."_

 _"Oh, I'm not so sure it's that simple."_

 _That statement made me blush and I tried to conceal it with a cough. "So what was that I saw at dinner with Agent Furuhata?" His eyebrow rose and I continued, "Oh, don't act like you two weren't talking about those senators' wives by the drinks table."_

 _He smiled, "I plead the fifth, but I will say that things are not always as they seem. Take you for example, you seem to be much different than the kind of girl who would be the daughter of a president, nay the woman that your mother seems to be."_

That's a relief, _I thought. Still, something begged me to ask further, "So you see me as much more free-spirited?" Sure, I was fishing for another compliment. Sue me._

 _"On the contrary, your mother is trying to make a name for herself and her husband. You, on the other hand, want to be different to be different. I hear you want to leave for school in the fall."_

 _My back stiffened, "If I could leave sooner I would, but yes. What does that matter?"_

 _"Who doesn't want to leave home? It's not original."_

 _"I never claimed to want to be original. I'm just me; I'm not trying to be anything."_

 _"Of course. Your secret is safe with me, Miss Kelly."_

I clutched my pillow tighter to me as the sobs grew louder again. "I can't believe I thought he was _cute_ ," I muttered. "Well, if that's how he wants to see me, as some girl who doesn't act "presidential enough" then I won't let him down. Agent Shields, you'd better prepare yourself."


	3. Chapter Three - First Day

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

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 **If you haven't yet, my story _Becoming Closer_ (based on the Chainsmokers song) is already complete and ready to be read from start to finish. I hope to have updates for _Outside the Walls_ and _Do More Than Just Exist_ this coming week. The weather was just so good today I opened the windows, cooked some macaroni and got to writing again. **

**Thank you for all the reviews and follows/favs! Hope to hear from more of you this chapter!**

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 **Darien Shields:**

After Inauguration Day on Friday I was directed to my living quarters at the White House. I was on the same floor as Miss Kelly, just across and a little bit down the hall. Agent Furuhata was down a different hallway not far from President Kelly's son Sam.

I was up before my alarm on Monday morning and I groaned once my ten minutes of staring at the ceiling were up. "Five a.m., let's do this." After my shower I threw on a partial zip-up sweater over a long-sleeved shirt and dark green jeans. My work cellphone rang around 5:30 a.m. as I was putting on my tan Doc Martens.

"Darien? It's Andrew."

"Uh, hi. What's up?"

"Are you almost ready? They have a breakfast ready for us down by the kitchen."

"We're eating with the First Family?" I was astounded. _I've never heard of such a thing._

He chuckled, "No, they are served in the dining room. The house agents are walking the grounds so there's no need to keep an eye on our details while we're still here. You on your way out?"

I muttered a response, ended the call and finished tying my laces. Once I walked out I turned around to put my key in the lock and looked over my shoulder when I heard a similar sound. Miss Kelly was wearing a pink sweater, light blue jeans that showed the slim shape of her ankles and white K-Swiss sneakers. She scrunched up her face at me and spun around to head to breakfast.

Andrew was at the end of the hallway and chuckled again once we neared each other.

"What did you do?" he asked.

" _I_ didn't do anything. She's been acting like that since Friday."

"Well maybe she's nervous," he said looking back in her direction as she walked from view. "Hey, you excited for your first day?"

"It's not our first day, Agent Furuhata." I adjusted the earpiece I had quickly put in before heading out.

"Please, call me Andrew. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other." Andrew motioned for us to start walking, "And it's the first day of the new high school. That's exciting, right?"

"I actually don't have many fond memories of high school."

"Oh, com'on. You look like a guy who played his way through the women of his graduating class, perhaps even some of the ones from other grades," he nudged me. "You can't tell me you didn't play football or something."

"I mostly studied, but I was involved in some extra-curriculars."

He opened the door to the small dining area attached to the kitchen, "Do tell." _This guy is turning out to be quite nosy._

"I marched with the band. What's for breakfast?" Andrew looked ready to respond but a bubbly, red-haired woman came in between us.

"Today I've whipped up a colossal omelet with cheese, ham and spinach. We also have fried potatoes, bacon and fresh fruit," she batted her eyes at us. "My name is Rita and you must be…"

"Agent Furuhata, but you may call me Andrew, my lady," Andrew reached out for her hand and gave it a small squeeze. Rita turned to me and I muttered my name with my hands both stuffed in the pockets of my jeans.

"Alright, well you two are the last ones here but I still have plenty to go around. If either of you have suggestions for future breakfasts, be sure to tell me. Oh! And I've already started the preparations for tonight's dinner; roast lamb with mint jelly, egg salad and my homemade cranberry sauce."

Rita served us our plates and retreated to the swinging kitchen doors.

"She seems… nice," I said partway through our meal.

" _Very_ nice. But man, I'm afraid we both saw her at the same time."

I swallowed a bite of omelet and reached for my glass of juice, "What do you mean?"

Andrew smiled, "So no calling dibs." I internally rolled my eyes as Andrew polished his plate off and leaned back in his chair. "You ready for today?"

"I suppose so. I mean, we've both already been through an attack so I guess we just make sure to keep an eye on the kids while they do their thing."

"Ah, but it's different now."

"How so?" I spent the night in the hotel room with President Kelly's children with my eyes on the door, my ears to our surroundings and my hand on my holster. If I could survive the pressure of the job that night I could survive four or so years watching over Miss Kelly.

"Things are different now. On Election Night our duty was just to watch them while other agents worried about rumors and tips. Now we're going to be surrounded by school-age kids who, frankly these days, are quite the bunch," Andrew leaned forward and downed his glass. "It's not just about protecting them daily but in the long run too."

"Hmm," I finished my plate and placed the silverware on top," I suppose you are right, Drew."

He stood up and tossed his cloth napkin on the table, "No one's ever called me that before; I like it."

 **Serena Kelly:**

"Serena, dear, you need to eat more than just some scrambled eggs and fruit. Do you want me to have the chef make you something special?"

I looked up from my plate to rest my eyes on my mother, "I don't understand why I can't just make a bowl of cereal for myself. I always eat cereal for breakfast and—."

"And a piece of lightly-buttered toast, I know but things have changed. I suppose I could ask if they will keep cereal in stock but I want you eating more food in the morning, Serena."

"I've always functioned just well on my breakfasts before."

"Ladies," my father cooed, "I'm sure we can come to an understanding. Now, how are you kids feeling about your first day at your new school?"

Sammy sipped his glass of milk and smiled, "I hope I can see Dakota when I get there."

"Sweetie, Dakota doesn't go to your new school. Remember, he's still in Delaware," my mother calmly responded. Sammy looked confused but I knew that a small fit was coming on.

"May I be excused?" I asked quickly as I threw my napkin on the table and rushed from the dining area. I had spent a few hours on Sunday wondering around the intricacies of the White House. Everything was old-fashioned yet in fairly new condition. I sat on the couch that I had deposited my backpack and messed around on my phone until I heard a noise at the entrance.

Agent Shields was waiting by the door. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my left shoulder. "I guess we're off then," I announced as I walked to the coatroom near the exit. I pulled on the mid-length peacoat I wore to Inauguration Day and followed Agent Shields out the door. He had grabbed a black, leather jacket and black knitted hat before meeting the brisk air. Delaware was no far northern than D.C. so I was used to the cold. _I guess 'used to' is not the right term; perhaps acquainted with would be better._

Agent Shields followed me to the stretched Cadillac and the driver opened the door. _I feel like going to school has become a function like a grand ball._ I was hoping the drive to school would be a silent one but no such luck. Sammy and I shared a car, though his school started earlier and thus he would be dropped off first. In fact, his school day was forty minutes shorter than mine so he would be home before I would get picked up for the day so I suppose I would have a quieter ride home.

Sammy and I sat next to each other with our agents across from us. Agent Shields and Furuhata explained that they wouldn't interfere with our school day and would only be there to keep a close watch. I didn't suspect anything awful to happen to either of us at school except maybe some minor bullying. _Oh God, I hope Agent Shields doesn't embarrass me at this new school_.

"Here we are," Agent Furuhata announced. He reached over to the door and unlatched the lock. Sammy gave me a quick hug and I wished him well on his first day as Agent Furuhata lead him to the elementary school.

Once the car was rolling again, Agent Shields spoke up. "Hey, I'm sorry about Friday at the White House. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

 _Hurt my feelings?_ "Why would you think you could have such an effect on me? Should I care what you think?"

He seemed taken aback, "Well, I don't suppose you should. I just wanted to clear up our rocky start since we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"You'll be seeing a lot of me but I don't plan on spending much time worrying about you. You're just in the background, right?" Sure, it was a little mean but that's his job. I shouldn't have to care about his work unless he fails to keep to the standard, in which case I'm sure he would get fired. _There's an idea_.

"Just as well," he smiled quickly before the car rolled to a stop. Agent Shields opened my door and waited for me to stop gawking at the building before me. It was three stories high with large steps out front, like in the music videos, that started on the second story. _Maybe the first story is actually a basement?_ "Welcome to Lincoln Memorial High School, Miss Kelly."

I looked over at my agent and gave a small nod before embarking down the sidewalk to the steps. Students were silencing their conversations as they noticed me approach. _Great, either everyone is going to want to be my friend or no one will._ I gave a few shy smiles before I figured it was best to take this day in stride. We walked through the doors and followed the signs to the main office to get my class schedule.

The middle-aged woman at the desk was adjusting her sporty afro and red-framed glasses before she noticed that I was walking in. "Oh, Miss Serena Kelly! You're just in the right place," she fumbled around with some folders and pulled out one marked with my name. "We have everything laid out for you."

The woman, named Reven, then proceeded to explain each of my classes and where they were located while also providing me a list of extra-curriculars and clubs I could join. It was a lot to take in and I was sure I would forget almost all of it.

"And of course we have second copies of the fire evacuation routes, your schedule and more for your Secret Service agent here." I watched as Agent Shields leaned forward to obtain the papers and thanked Reven for her help. "Oh, and before you go Principal Tsukino would like to meet with you."

I looked back to Agent Shields who looked puzzled as to whether he should join me or not. Reven knocked on the door and opened it to reveal a young Japanese woman sitting at the desk. Her hair was black and styled in that beautiful teased style that I envied. "Miss Kelly," she beamed. I again looked to my agent as he conceded he should attend this short meeting with me.

"I'll just be back here," he whispered as the principal told me to take a seat.

"It's so great to have you here at our school. How do you like it so far?"

"Oh, well I haven't really been here too long but, um I'm sure it's great."

Principal Tsukino smiled and glanced at Agent Shields. "Well, should you have any trouble always feel free to meet with me; either of you. And I do apologize in advance for any of the buzz going on today. You see, President Jules' children were older and did not attend school with us. Aside from the staff that has been here for over eight years, having a member of the First Family at this school is a bit new again."

I nodded, "I understand."

"Great," she stood up as I did and walked over to give me a small pat on the shoulder. "I know you'll do just great here at Lincoln Memorial High School."

 **Darien Shields:**

"So if this room says 119 then 142 should be just around—," Miss Kelly muttered to herself as she tried to figure out the school's map.

"Room 142 should be down this hallway."

She looked at me peculiarly, "That doesn't make sense."

"The secretary said that an addition was made on the school in the seventies and the numbering got messed up in the process."

"How do you remember all of that stuff?"

I shrugged and gestured for her to continue down the hallway, "The necessary skills of a Secret Service agent."

"Oh, hello!" a chipper voice broke in. We both looked to our left to see a cheerful blonde girl with a small stack of books and a red and white pom-pom. "My name's Mina Anderson. You're the president's daughter, right?"

"Serena," Miss Kelly reached out her hand for a shake and I watched as the blonde shuffled her items around to be able to accommodate the gesture.

"I heard you say that you have Physics first period with Mr. Nells; I'm heading there now."

"Oh," Miss Kelly looked to me and then to Mina. "Well, I suppose we could walk together."

"Great!" the, presumably cheerleader, grinned. I followed them to their class and watched as Mina lead Miss Kelly to sit next to her. "Mr. Nells is a pretty good teacher and takes his time explaining everything so this class is usually a breeze. What's the rest of your schedule look like?"

They started going over the class schedule for the day and although I wasn't trying to eavesdrop I heard Mina mention Miss Kelly getting involved in a club or sport.

"I used to play volleyball but the season is over. That's about it for groups for me."

"Well you should join the squad with me! We lost a girl two weeks ago and there's still three months of basketball, assuming our guys can dribble the ball this year." After a shocked look from Miss Kelly the girl went on to clarify, "She got caught sneaking out with her boyfriend and her parents grounded her from everything including cheer. You're athletic enough though, right?"

"Um, I'm not sure." I smirked at the thought of Miss Kelly in a cheer uniform before I shoved the thought out of my mind. _I can't be thinking that about her! God, why couldn't she be like twelve or something?_ "It's never really been my scene, you know?"

Mina laughed, "But that's what a new school is great for! You can have a totally new life here. You can pick up new hobbies, a new style, anything and we won't think anything different about it. It's up to you but we practice Tuesday through Thursday after school for two hours. Games are Fridays and every other Saturday and we don't do competitions so everything is for the games. As far as athletics go this time of year, it's a low-level commitment."

The teacher walked into the room and started setting up the projector. "I'll think about it," she whispered before walking up to the teacher to introduce herself. She got her textbook and an outline to catch her up from the first couple weeks of the semester.

Mina took Miss Kelly to most of her classes and introduced her to some of her friends while I kept watch from afar. So far, she didn't seem to have any trouble making friends but that could spell out concern for later. I tucked it in the back of my mind for the time being.

I sounded a sigh of relief when the school bell tone rang signaling the end of the day. _Finally._ If I counted correctly, Miss Kelly had made about four or so friends today, mainly based on who all sat with her at lunch. _Perhaps she's just more social than I thought_.

When we got into the car she fidgeted with her backpack before looking up at me. "I'm not sure if you're the best person to be asking this but what's the procedure for letting me visit a friend's house? I mean, I used to get let my mother know, if she was home."

"I'm not sure myself. I suppose you would still need to clear it with your parents but I'll ask my superiors about it. They would probably coordinate the travel too." She nodded in understanding and started texting on her phone. "You seem to have made a lot of friends today."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. That tall girl with the brown hair's name is Lita and she's having a pool party on Saturday after the game."

"Swimming pool? Won't it be snowing again this weekend?"

She smiled, "It's an indoor pool at the rec center. Then they're having a sleepover and they invited me." _Dear God, do I have to go to a slumber party?_ "I hope I can go." Miss Kelly went back to her texting and I decided to the drop the subject.

Once we arrived back on White House property things seemed to mellow a bit. Miss Kelly went off to her room and I walked around the hallways hoping to run into Andrew. _I did promise her I would talk to Control_. I pulled out my work phone and pressed "2" for Control and gave my clearance ID information before being connected with one of the desk people.

"Yes, I have a question regarding travel for Miss Kelly, uh _Luna_. She is going to ask her parents but she was wondering how to go about attending a pool party and sleepover this weekend." Andrew turned the corner and raised his eyebrows towards me. "Really? Oh, great. Yes, I'll inform her. Thank you."

"What was that about?" he asked as I put my phone back in my pocket.

"Serena Kelly wants to go to a party this weekend."

"And did I hear something about a slumber party too?"

I sighed, "Damn it, I should have asked about that. I mean, of course I have to go but there will be a bunch of teenaged girls in their pajamas."

"You know, there was a time that I thought that was the dream," he grasped my shoulder and sucked his teeth, "but I guess it sucks to suck."

"Sucks to suck? Seriously, Drew?" Andrew chuckled.

"Too bad I have Sammy patrol, otherwise I'd go with ya man," he slapped my shoulder.

"Of course," I smiled. Want to play a game of cards. I have a deck in my room.

Andrew and I made plans to meet in one of the rec areas after I got back from my room. On my way down I ran into Miss Kelly or _Luna_.

"Hello, Agent Shields!" she beamed. "Guess who's joining the squad?"

"Uh, I suppose young Mister Kelly is a good size for being tossed in the air."

She smiled and for a moment I felt lost in the glow of it. "No, it's me! I mean, I have to try out but I'm sure that I have a good shot. Oh, and my mother wants more information on leaving the grounds outside of school and scheduled events but she's thinking about letting me go to the party."

"I actually just got off of the phone with Control. It turns out that so long as a parent approves your travel you just let me know where you want to go and when and I'll schedule it with them. Simple as that, Miss Kelly"

"Perfect," she smiled again. "Well, have a good evening Agent Shields." I watched as Miss Kelly skipped down the hallway, a complete 180 from her behavior until now. I feared that I had watched her for too long so I hurried around the corner to find the room Andrew mentioned. _This is a job, Darien. Do your job._


	4. Chapter Four - An Eventful Weekend

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

* * *

 **All of your feedback is much appreciated and I especially love the longer ones I occasionally get! Also, thank you for all the new follows/favs.**

 **Glad you all are enjoying the story!**

 **What do you think might happen next? :)**

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 **Serena Kelly:**

My first week at Lincoln Memorial High was coming to an end and last night at practice I was selected as the new cheerleader for the squad. I wasn't too surprised since the other girl, despite being very spirited, had a hard time remembering what moves to do when. I was nervous for our first game tonight but I was thrilled that I was making friends and there was also the party to look forward to as well.

"What time do you need to be to the gym locker rooms after school? I want to make sure you get something to eat," Agent Shields asked as I placed my math text in my locker.

"Mina says that they always order pizza and have Gatorade with the team in-between school and the game."

"Alright then, well I won't be coming into the locker room while everyone's changing but I'll do a sweep with a couple other agents beforehand and then guard the door."

I shrugged, "Whatever."

"Miss Kelly, I'm trying to be the least invasive that I possibly can while still doing my job. I understand that you want some privacy still but it's not always safe. We're going to have to do a full sweep of the rec center tomorrow before you arrive."

I shut my locker and spun around, "What? Why?"

"For—for your protection, of course."

I zipped up my bag and waved to Mina, "Yeah, well, this whole protection thing is becoming a real drag." I hurried over to Mina and a couple of other girls from the squad as we walked to the athletic atrium. Most of the guys' team was already sitting at one of the lunch tables they had set out and one of the guys called Mina over.

"Yo, Mina! Let's see the new recruit," Mina grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the basketball player. I recognized him as Seiya from a couple of my classes and knew that he was one of the guys that every girl in the school was crushing on.

"Seiya, you should already know Serena Kelly," Mina giggled.

"Yeah, but I bet she looks a lot better in our cheer uniforms than her father's shadow," he reached out to place his hand on my arm and smiled. "I'm Seiya."

"Serena."

"Do you think she's a good replacement for Whitney?" he directed to Mina before turning to me, "Have you ever cheered before?"

I shook my head. "No, but I captained my volleyball team back home, annnd I made the cut so I guess I'm the best you have."

Seiya smiled slightly and tilted his head to the side, "I like that," his gazed moved from us. "Pizza's here."

I watched as Seiya and a couple of the other guys rushed to help their coach bring in the stacks of pizzas. _I guess they eat a lot then, hmm._ I scanned the crowd and noticed Agent Shields standing nearby, watching over the crowd. _I'm at the school; seriously, what could happen here?_

The next few hours were a rush as I struggled to stand comfortably in my short cheer uniform as I also tried to focus on the game. We were down four points at the end of the first half but spirits were still high. I could've sworn I saw Seiya wink over at me as he downed his Gatorade and, whether he did or not, the thought that he might have almost caused me to trip as the squad ran out onto the court for our halftime show.

Although I had been selected during tryouts, I was still surprised by how well I remembered the routine. Our coach had made a mashup of a couple of hip-hop songs with sexual themes while the routine was a bit seductive itself to say the least. It's like not I would get a vote in what songs or moves we do but I was just glad that my mother was "too busy to deal with scholastic activities."

We finished out with the Lincoln Memorial High fight song and rushed to make a tunnel for the guys to run back through. I felt lost for a moment in the heat of everything but a rush of cold overwhelmed my body as I felt a hand on my lower back. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Seiya grinning widely.

"Nice moves, First Chick."

He ran a hand through his black hair before turning to catch up with his team. I was sure my face was as red as our uniforms and Mina turned to face me.

"Looks like Seiya's really got his eye on you," she directed the girls to the coolers and wrapped her arm through mine. "You know, he's going to be at the pool party tomorrow."

My breathing hitched, "What?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't want the attention. Seiya's one of the hottest guys in our class."

Mina grabbed us both cups and I downed mine quickly as I thought about the bathing suit I was planning on wearing tomorrow; pink triangle bikini with small yellow flowers. It was either that or the black, super 90s floral one-piece. It's not even retro, just tacky. _Perhaps I could convince Agent Shields to let me go to the mall first?_

No. I'd rather wear that teeny bikini than take him shopping for a bathing suit. I suppose he'd see me in my swimwear either way but it just seemed freaky. _He's like a grown man… taking a high schooler shopping for a medium-sexy swimsuit?_ I shook my head before looking over at the wall where Agent Shields gaze was focused on me. _Stop staring at me_ ; I tried to tell him telepathically. Either he didn't get the message or chose to ignore it.

We ended up winning the game with a score of 67 against the away team's 62 and everyone was planning on going out to celebrate. One look at Agent Shields told me that that was not going to happen. The plans hadn't been cleared ahead of time and therefore the restaurant couldn't be swept before we would all arrive. _This sucks. I'm a teenager; who makes these kinds of plans ahead of time?_

Mina begged me to go with her to celebrate with everybody else and I had a hard time explaining exactly why I couldn't go with them. I knew that it could be dangerous; you never know what kind of advantage someone could take of the situation, but again it wasn't me who chose this life. I sulked out of the locker room with my cheer bag over my shoulder, avoiding eye contact with my 'bodyguard.' My eyes widened at the thought of that Whitney Houston movie and I shuffled my feet faster to the exit doors.

"Miss Kelly!" I turned around to see Agent Shields trying to catch up with me. He wasn't out of breath so I didn't understand what the fuss what about. "You can't run off like that. Is something wrong?" I looked back and realized that I must have taken off pretty quickly. My eyes met with Agent Shields'. "Look, I'm sorry that you can't hang out with your new friends tonight but hey, you'll see them tomorrow for that pool party and sleepover, right?"

I pursed my lips and nodded, "Yeah, I'm just tired I guess."

"Oh, well, alright then. We'll get you home."

Agent Shields stood by my side as we made our way to the car. Though he called it home, it still felt like a really nice hotel; kind of like that one trip my parents took us on to Paris. Every piece of furniture was ornate and given special care. My room, despite having many of my own items, was over-luxurious and the new comforter sets that the White House staff would change out for me had multiple parts to them, just like in a hotel.

It didn't feel snug and warm, I felt like I was always on alert making it even harder to sleep at night.

"I know I'm just supposed to watch over you but are you alright, Miss Kelly?" Agent Shields interrupted my thoughts. "I'm not saying you need to talk to me if there's something troubling you but we do have people on staff prepared to hear you out. Your life has changed a lot this week."

"I know, my mother told me." We sat there in silence and I felt obligated to say something, though I felt stupid for doing so, "Thanks though."

"You are welcome, Miss Kelly."

"Why do you call me that? My brother's agent calls him Sam; you can call me Serena."

Agent Shields didn't make eye contact right away and even when he did I could barely make out his facial expression inside of the dark cabin. "Miss Kelly is the proper way to address a young lady such as you and I don't want to be unprofessional."

"Yeah, well we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. How about you call me Miss Kelly at formal events like balls and dinners and call me Serena when we're at school and such? I'd really prefer it that way."

He paused for a moment and cleared his throat, "I suppose that's a fair arrangement. After all, you are in my care so if it makes it more comfortable for you then I shall refer to you by your first name, Serena."

 **Darien Shields:**

Saying her first name aloud tasted like vinegar in my throat. Perhaps it was just ingrained in me to refer to a woman in a certain way, especially someone who is the daughter of the sitting president. But if that was her request of me, I certainly couldn't deny it. Besides, she didn't put up a fight about the plans for tonight so it was the least I could do to try to smooth that over.

If there was a way to make it work under last-minute planning I know I would have found a way for her to go. I understood what it felt like to be in high school and want to be sociable.

When I got back to my room I kicked off my shoes and turned on my private shower. The hot water ran over my face and I forgot about my tiring day, if only for a few moments. Images of the basketball jock that had started showing an interest in Miss K—Serena today flashed through my mind. I knew his type and I only hoped that Serena would make good decisions. It wasn't my place to give her boyfriend advice so I prayed that her mother had taught her something about guys and what they want.

I turned off the water and reached for my towel. Hearing a sound from my bedroom, I hurried to tie the towel around my waist and go out to see what was going on. I saw a flash of long blonde hair leaving my bedroom door and was about to run after her before I remembered I wasn't properly dressed.

 _We're in the White House, she's protected here. I'll just get dressed real quick_.

In about five minutes I was across the hall at her door trying to figure out why I couldn't bring myself to knock on her door. _Maybe she needed to talk._ Mustering up the courage I needed from that thought, I knocked the back of my knuckles on the door gently.

"Serena? Serena, are you in there?"

After a minute I knocked again and asked for her but she never came. I went back to my room to grab one of the White House memo pads and wrote a quick note:

If you need something, talk or anything else, just knock next time. – Agent Shields

I folded the note and slid it under her door.

When I awoke the next morning I found a sheet of paper folded in fours in front of my door. When I opened it I saw her response:

I'm so sorry that I walked into your room last night without knocking. I had a question but I'm fine now. Thank you for the offer, Agent Shields. – Serena

I wasn't expecting to see Miss Kelly—err, Serena—until the early afternoon. After some breakfast, reading the next few chapters of my current book and a short nap, I saw that it was nearly 2:30 p.m. and jumped up to grab my overnight bag.

Serena spent the ride to the rec center texting her new friends as I confirmed with Control that the venue had been swept. She smiled a few times during the trip there and I noticed her light pink lip gloss for the first time. It was an intrusive thought but I suddenly found myself wondering what kissing her soft lips would be like; taste like.

I cleared my throat, startling Serena from her current task.

"Is something the matter?" she had a puzzled look on her face.

"Oh, just someth—something in my throat." Serena seemed to buy it and her attention went back to her phone.

A few minutes later we arrived at the rec center and I escorted her inside. Mina gushed aloud when we walked through the double doors into the pool area. She was already dressed in a black and neon orange swimsuit and hurried Serena to change into her suit. _Oh God, what did she pack?_

I hid it well but underneath my stoic expression my mind was racing. I began trying to shut it down, repeating in my head: "Don't think about Serena, don't think about Serena." But my worst fear was realized when she left the curtained changing room.

Her long legs were in full view along with her narrow waist and her—"Stop it!" I whispered to myself. A student nearby must have heard me because he gave me a strange look before walking away. I turned my attention back to Serena Kelly to see her tiny, pink bikini in clear view. She was breathtaking and that's what I chocked this all up to be—I don't have a crush on the president's daughter; I just don't have a personal life going on right now.

Look at me, I spend all my time either watching over President Kelly's daughter or at the White House. I don't have family to visit nor friends outside the agency, let alone a girlfriend. This is just built up tension that I can only blame on myself… and I know just how I can fix that later.

 **Serena Kelly:**

Perhaps it was all the excitement going on but as I stepped out from the changing area I no longer felt insecure about my swimsuit. _I look good_ ; I thought to myself.

Mina's comment a few seconds later confirmed that. I hear a loud whistle from the shallow-end of the pool and playfully twirled the loose sections of my hair through my fingers. Mina nudged me and I followed her gaze to the deep-end where Seiya was championing a diving challenge.

The game seemed simple enough: One person would use the stopwatch to time you once your feet left the board and the timing would end once the diving stick was visibly above the surface.

"Hey, Seiya," I said as I reached him. He was wearing an old 5K shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of black swim trunks with lime-green stripes down the sides. "Who's winning so far?"

Seiya gave me a once over and smiled, "Hey, First Chick. Tommy's got the lead with 32 seconds but," he turned to his friends and began taking off his shirt, "not for long." I stepped back as Seiya walked towards the platform and onto the board. He winked over at me, took a full breath and bounced off the diving board into the water. About twenty seconds later he surfaced, causing a big splash before hoisting a hot pink stick in the air.

"Time! And it looks like Seiya takes the lead with an astounding 28 seconds, four seconds above our previous placeholder!" the guy with the stopwatch announced. The occupants of the pool cheered and Seiya climbed out of the pool, tossed the stick back in and walked over to me. His arms were stretched out and I knew what was about to happen.

His arms were tight around me and I felt the skin of our bare torsos come into contact. My breathing hitched from the feeling but cool air broke me out of my trance.

"You're looking at the best diver on the basketball time, Miss First Chick."

"Oh, is that right?"

"The results speak for themselves," he grinned widely. I turned to look at Mina who looked confused for a moment before realizing what I was about to do. She called some of the girls over and started cheering my name.

"Looks like it's my turn," I flipped my long hair over my shoulder and momentarily though about braiding it. _I really should. It could it tangled into a mess._ Instead, I ignored my inner warnings and stepped up to the board.

The pool was 15 feet deep and it had been a long time since I last tried diving. I looked down at the abyss and took note of the location of the diving stick. _A yard to the left, I can do that_. I knew that looking back at the awaiting crowd would likely make me chicken out so I just focused on the left side of the board where my target was. I stretched my toes and made sure I had a good starting stance. Just as my feet where about to leave the board I saw Agent Shields with his arms crossed standing at the edge of the deep-end, just a mere three yards from my intended target.

I hit the water without a full breath and although my pointed-forward arms and body were heading to the bottom, panic started to set in. _Why would he do that? I could have slipped off the board! How very_ not _very protective of him._

The weight of the water told me that I was close to the bottom so I opened my eyes to see a chlorine-blurred pink diving stick just a foot from my direction. I reached down and grabbed it before bending my legs at the knee and springing back up to the surface.

When training for volleyball, I taught myself a breathing technique that would allow me to take few breaths during a run. This let me control my breaths and gave me the edge I needed during my games. I tried focusing on this mindset once again to trick my brain into not concentrating on my low oxygen levels. It helped, to some degree.

My arms were stretched upwards as my eyelids began to turn a reddish-pink. _The overhead lights, I'm almost there_. My hands reached the surface first and then my mouth as I began gasping for air. Seiya stood there clapping with the rest of the crowd before the announcement came.

"Wow, Serena Kelly takes the new lead with 27 seconds, beating out Seiya Kane by one whole second!"

The crowd cheered and I saw a look of disapproval grace Seiya's face. He immediately went over to the timer guy and started talking with him. I looked over to the ladder to see Agent Shields kneeling down with his hand stretched out. He was smiling at me.

"You did a great job," he complimented as he helped me out of the pool. I took a quick check to make sure my swimsuit was all still on correctly before thanking him. I felt on fire and the idea that moving here _might_ not be the worst thing after all. _Finally, I have friends_ ; I thought as Lita, Amy, Raye and Mina all swarmed me with congratulatory hugs.

"What do you mean? Her head wasn't up till _after_ you called time," we heard Seiya arguing. Raye scoffed, calling him a bad sport but I decided to see what the fuss was all about. I walked over to the two guys to hear what was being discussed.

"Sorry, Serena," the timer guy said, "Seiya thinks that I broke the rules to impress the president's daughter," he said pointedly to Seiya. "The rules clearly were when the diving stick was visible and above water. Serena did that before she herself surfaced."

"Oh, so that's what this is about?" I cocked my hip to the side and rested my hand holding the stick on my chin. "Pretty sure that was the rule, Seiya," I gestured with the pink diving stick, "You can go again if you want. I'll just throw the stick back and give you a second try."

"No thanks," he said before walking away from us. I shrugged and thanked the timer guy before asking his name. Robbie, another friend I suppose.

I didn't see much of Seiya for the rest of the pool party but the girls and I had a fun time nonetheless. As the party started to wind down Raye asked if it was time to head over to Lita's for a dinner she had been slow roasting for most of the day. I felt my stomach growl and chimed in with gratitude for Raye's suggestion which got a good laugh from the others.

We all went to change and Mina asked if I was going to carpool with them. "I can't," I looked over to Agent Shields who was standing by the door, waiting for me to finish up. "It's a protective detail-thing. I have to drive around in this armored vehicle for my safety."

"Oh, that's fine," she said with a smile. "Maybe I'll ride with you sometime. See ya at Lita's!" Mina gave me a quick hug before departing with the rest of the girls. I walked over to Agent Shields with my bag over my shoulder.

"Ready for your sleepover?"

"I suppose." We began walking down the hallway towards the car when I spoke up, "You need to be more careful with how careful you are, Agent Shields."

He turned his head to look at me, confusion on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"That thing with the pool; I saw you looking over at me." Agent Shields got silent and seemed unsure how to respond. "I mean, I was about to dive and then all of a sudden I look over and there you are. You know that I didn't actually take a breath before I fell into the pool? First place aside, I'm lucky I didn't get my lungs filled with pool water."

"Oh? I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you."

"Are _you_ okay?"

"Um, yeah. Just looking forward to a night over with a bunch of giggly, teenaged girls, you know?" I could have sworn I saw a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead but he put on a hat before heading outside and any evidence was now gone.

When we arrived at Lita's my vision was graced with a beautiful home built out of large stones with small bushes in front of the porch and a novelty "welcome" sign on the door. _This is cute_ ; I thought before the door flung open to reveal Raye Halwes with her silky black hair.

"'Bout time you got here. Lita's busy finishing up dinner but we have our sleeping stuff all out in the living room and there are snacks on the coffee table."

"Oh, thank God," I beamed as I rushed over for the bag of Cheetos puffs. I dropped my stuff on the floor and began eating. When I looked up I saw an amused look on Agent Shields' face but none of the girls seemed to notice my behavior.

Lita Karr lived with just her mother so although there was a lot of space, most of it was unused. Agent Shields was busy talking with Ms. Karr as Mina tried picking a nail color for Amy and Raye collected a stack of dvds for us to choose from after dinner. Luckily, that was announced right then.

We all piled into the dining room where a large crockpot was in the center and various sides placed around it.

"I made my own slow cooker French dip. Everyone gets a pre-sliced sub, use the tongs to fill your sandwich and choose any sides you'd like," Lita beamed as she reached behind her to untie her pink plaid apron. Each of our plates already had a small bowl filled with au jus and the side dishes consisted of crisp green beans, cheesy potato skins and fresh strawberries. "Dig in!"

As we began serving ourselves, I noticed that there were seven place settings out. I looked back over to Ms. Karr and Agent Shields to see them walking in our direction. Lita offered them to join in the dinner but Ms. Karr tried to convince Lita to let her take her plate to another room, but Lita would have none of it.

"Nonsense! We have the whole night to gab about stuff and watch movies. And Agent Shields should get something to eat as well," Lita said scooping some meat into a sub. Agent Shields looked to me, almost as if asking for permission, so I gave him a short nod. He pulled out the seat two down from me, in between Mina and Ms. Karr.

"So, Agent Shields, is this your first sleepover?" Mina giggled.

I watched as Agent Shields served himself some green beans before turning to Mina. "Indeed, this is my first." He reached down for his sandwich, took a bite and got wide-eyed. After swallowing he added, "But I hope it's not my last. Miss Karr, this is delicious."

We all looked around before realizing he was referring to Lita, who spoke up, "Please, call me Lita. And I suppose you can call the rest of the girls by their first names as well." The rest of the girls nodded. _Told you it was weird_.

After dinner we all piled into the living room to watch each of our favorite picks. Mina chose _She's the Man_ , Amy chose _Little Women_ , Raye selected _Practical Magic_ , Lita opted for _Soul Surfer_ and I went with _Miss Congeniality_. Around the end of the second movie we dimmed the lights and took a break to talk and do hair and nails. Agent Shields was busy reading a book and I wondered to myself if he would have to stay up all night. I mean, he did bring a sleeping bag.

He started to look up from his current page so I tilted my head down and away.

"Serena! You almost made me mess up," Raye groaned as she physically repositioned my head and went back to braiding.

"Sorry," I mumbled, reaching my foot out to kick the bag of Chex Mix towards me.

"Actually, that might have been a better position. Turn back that way," she demanded. I snatched the bag and did as I was told. Once she started braiding again I noticed that Agent Shields was smirking at me. I couldn't help the blush that certainly was surfacing on my face but I did hope it was barely noticeable in this light.

A couple movies later Amy clocked out, followed by Lita. Raye, Mina and I stayed up to watch _Practical Magic_ but even Mina started to dose off towards the end. I had never seen this movie before so I was intrigued to see what would happen in the end. Actually, I just loved the feel of the movie. Everything was so earthy, old and worn. The Victorian house, the full garden; I started thinking about how that might be something I'd want one day, rather than the large houses I was used to living in and especially now with our big, white mansion.

I looked over to Agent Shields again to see him still reading. _I wonder what book could keep him so interested…_

"This is my favorite movie," Raye whispered to me, her eyes still on the screen. I had flinched at the sound of her voice but was now waiting for her to continue. "Don't you just want to leave D.C. behind and actually live on the coast in an old house? Lita would love the kitchen in this movie."

I smiled, "And Amy could transform one of the rooms into a library."

Raye looked over at me, "But what would Mina do?"

We looked over at our friend and said in unison, "Plan our daily itineraries." Raye and I shared a quiet laugh and, although I didn't check, I hoped that Agent Shields was looking up at us now.

"What about me?" I whispered. Raye turned to me and furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean? You can do whatever you want. Actually, I don't know a lot about you yet, Serena. What do you like to do outside of school stuff?"

I leaned back against the base of the sofa, "I dunno, a lot of stuff, really. I'm trying to get a new image here but I was a big art nerd back at my old school."

"Really? That's pretty neat. What kind of art?"

"Mostly paintings, landscapes and such. I have some portfolios back at my house…," I trailed off.

"Th—the White House?" Raye smirked. "Well I hope you'll let me see them sometime. Maybe you'll have to snap some photos on your phone."

I thought for a moment. _Can I have guests? Was that allowed? I suppose they would need background checks like anybody else but I bet Agent Shields has already looked into the lives of my new friends and their families._

"You know what? I'm going to check on that. I think it would be fun to host a sleepover." I never had gotten a chance to host one before and high school's almost over; I assume this would be my last chance to try. Raye agreed that it sounded like a fun idea and I started thinking of all the ways I could make the sleepover something of my own creation. _Maybe I can plan a meal with the White House chefs? I could get my room moved around to have more open space for sleeping bags and bedding_.

I was getting too excited; something I could tell from the way Raye was looking at me but I didn't mind. The film finished and Raye turned off the entertainment system. There wasn't a lot of room left on the floor so I ended up making my bed on one of the sofas. Looking over to Agent Shields one last time, I saw him smile over at me as he closed his book.

"If you need anything, I'm right over here," he whispered. I nodded in response and pulled my head down to snuggle under the warm blanket.


	5. Chapter Five - Temptation

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

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 **A/N:**

 **Thank you for all the reviews since I last updated this… a year and a half ago, wow.**

 **I just finished _Do More Than Just Exist_ (and for new readers, I have _Becoming Closer_ which is also finished) so I'm looking forward to completing this one in the next couple months. I have the timeline all figured out so it's just a matter of taking the time to write it.**

 **Also, I post pretty regularly to _Crumbs_ if you are looking for something to read between updates. **

**My favorite reviews consist of productive praise and constructive criticism, but I'll take any I can get!**

* * *

 **Serena Kelly:**

A month into living in D.C., things were finally starting to feel normal. I had a small group of friends, classes were going well, and my mother had allowed me to take care of myself—well, with Darien Shields watching over me.

I had started to develop a crush on Darien, but it wasn't anything that I would allow myself to think on too much. Aside from a couple heated dreams that I would never dare tell another about, our relationship was as it should be: professional.

I was excited for my friends to arrive soon as I was hosting my first ever sleepover. It took some special planning, but it was finally here. I had been allowed to rearrange one of the extra bedrooms so that there would be room for everyone's sleeping rolls as well as a short snack table and television.

Although I was able to ensure potato chips and Cheetos, I hadn't been able to completely shrug off the White House chef who insisted on sushi rolls, finger sandwiches, and other novelties. Later on in the evening she was sending up ice cream treats. That was one part I was looking forward to, actually.

I had grabbed several extra pillows from my room and was on my way down the hall when one fell off the stack.

"Serena?" I heard Darien ask. I peered around the pillows to see him kneeling down. When he stood up he grabbed a couple of the pillows from me. "Think you have enough?" he laughed.

"I want to make sure they're comfortable," I replied. Darien followed me to the sleepover room and dropped the pillows to the floor. "So, uh, what are you doing tonight?"

Darien's eyebrow rose, "Just going to do some light reading." His tone seemed a little off.

I chuckled, "Then why does it sound like you're reading Proust?"

He laughed, "I'm surprised you know who that is. You're pretty mature for your age, you know that?" I beamed at the compliment, but suddenly wondered how my face looked to him.

"Uh, thank you, Agent Shields."

Darien gave me a weird look, but then brushed it off. "No problem. Have a great sleepover," he waved.

My friends soon arrived and we dug into the food and switched on a reality TV show. It was during a game of truth or dare that things almost got out of hand.

"Ami, I dare you to eat one of the sushi pieces with the red peppers," Lita demanded. Ami looked at the snack table hesitantly with a gulp. She stood up and made her way over to the tray. After a couple fake outs where she was really psyching herself out, she finally downed the sushi.

"Oh my," she whispered as her face turned red. "That's… quite hot." A tear escaped her eye and Mina fell over laughing.

"Okay, my turn, my turn," she demanded, looking at me. "Serena, truth or dare?" Feeling adventurous, I opted for dare as well. "I dare you to ask Seiya on a date."

"Eww," I replied. Everyone, even Ami, leaned in blinking slowly.

"What do you mean 'eww'?" Raye asked. The other nodded in agreement.

Mina added, "He's only the hottest guy at school."

I shrugged, "He's kind of a douche, don't you think?" Lita and Ami conceded, but Raye and Mina disagreed.

"That's most guys our age," Raye reasoned.

"Well, then I guess I don't like guys our age."

Mina's eyes lit up, "Oh! Does that mean our nation's daughter is into _older_ men?" She wiggled her eyebrows and I felt nauseous.

"No one calls me that, right?"

Lita interjected, "I read that on an independent blog the other day." _Great, that's what I need… to be a precious ice sculpture for our country_.

Right as Mina looked ready to adjust her dare, the White House chef knocked quickly and entered. "Hello, _ladies_. I have your treats!"

 _Whew_. The chef's interruption and the television being switched on again saved me from some embarrassing fate by Mina's hand. When it came time for us to finally go to sleep, I heard a _psst_ from behind me. Turning to my left, I saw Mina kneeling beside me.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She knew where the bathroom was so I couldn't think of what she might need.

"I have a question. I don't think the others noticed but… have you ever dated anyone before?"

I swallowed hard, "Well, I've gone to a couple school dances with guys."

"I assume then that they asked you out and then you didn't really date them afterwards?" _What's her deal? Why does it matter?_ "I think I should give you lessons in flirting. Then maybe you won't be so shy about guys."

"I uh, I don't think that's necessary," I said trying to go back to bed. Mina had other plans.

"Well, then just practice your hand with the guys at school. Flirting is fun, but it doesn't have to mean anything. Goodnight, Serena," she said as she crawled back to her bedding area.

I nestled under my blanket and thought about Darien Shields. _I bet I could try flirting with him. It's not like he could do anything about it so I wouldn't have to worry about him expecting anything from it._

 **Darien Shields:**

"See you later," Sammy called out as he followed Agent Furuhata out of the vehicle. It was a ten minute drive through the morning traffic to get to Serena's school, a drive that she used to engage in polite conversation during but now she was strangely quiet.

"How was your sleepover the other day?" I finally asked, almost desperate to break the silence. It was odd because I had become used to silence and limited social interaction, but I had found that that changed in the last few weeks.

Serena looked up and seemed to be forcing a smile, "Oh, it was fine." _Is something wrong_ , I wanted to ask her but she didn't seem sad just… something else. "I—uh—had a question."

"Yes?"

Serena swallowed hard, "Uh, do you work out? You—uh—you look strong."

On instinct, I looked down to my arms and then back to her blushing face. "Well, there are physical fitness requirements for agents, just like with the military and police forces."

"Right," was her curt response. After another minute of silence she turned to me, "Some weather we're having, huh? It snows and melts, then they announce an early spring heatwave and it snows again."

I nodded slowly, "Weather does that. It's not as predictable as some would like."

She stopped acting so nervous and started on a short diatribe: "You know, it's frustrating when people complain that their weather app says it's a 50% chance of rain and yet it is currently raining, like, that's not what it means!

"The conditions outside, such as the atmospheric pressure, the humidity and dew point, and the temperature, are all taken into consideration with the history of the weather in any one place…," she trailed off and took a deep breath, "and that is all put together to give us a _prediction_ not _premonition_."

I smiled, "You seem to have an interest in weather."

Serena leaned back into her seat, "Yeah, it's a hobby." She quickly sat up and I noticed that her blush had returned, "So—uh—are you seeing anyone currently?"

I was taken aback by her forwardness, "Well, protecting the president's daughter is a _full_ time job."

"I'm sorry."

Putting my hands up, I laughed nervously, "I wasn't trying to blame you. I'm probably just using it as an excuse to not get involved with anybody, really."

As Serena went through her school day, I started to ponder on her question. _She asked about me working out… and the weather… and then if I was single…_ I refocused on her as she exchanged some books in her locker. Mina walked up and Serena pulled her in for a private conversation.

I never try to eavesdrop on her conversations, and the noise of the hallway would have prevented me from hearing this one anyways, but she was obviously trying to avoid anyone hearing her which—what?—intrigued me for some reason.

Serena looked back to me for a moment and then continued talking to Mina.

Over the next few days, on the way to and from the school she would attempt to talk with me about my personal life, something that was heavily guarded for a reason. I tried to explain to her that it wasn't appropriate, which would cause her to drop the topic for the time being.

Then on Friday morning, she unbuckled her seatbelt after the door closed at Sammy Kelly's school. She scooted over to the seat next to me. "Are you scared to touch me?"

My jaw dropped open and I went wide-eyed, "Wh—what exactly are you asking me?" Images of Serena that I had been working to suppress since I started working as her agent floated to the surface of my mind. Then my fear for the past week seemed to be realized. _Serena's been flirting with me!_

"Inauguration Day, you wouldn't shake my hand until I offered my hand."

I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, "Oh, that? It's manners." Serena gave me a puzzled look. "You're not supposed to shake a woman's hand unless she extends it first. It's a sign of respect."

"Huh," she said to herself, "funny how something so old-fashioned seems more necessary in today's environment." I shrugged as I retreated to my thoughts. _Okay, so maybe she wasn't flirting_. I was about to relax again when she turned to me, "You have the most striking blue eyes I've ever seen." Her hand gently trailed the hairs on my wrist and my body went on full alert.

"What do you think you're doing?" I jerked my arm from her and she froze. "We're here," I announced as I exited the car and did a quick scan before allowing her out. She looked at me and opened her mouth, but then closed it abruptly and walked into the school.

As I do every day, I followed her closely as she went inside and began her school day. _Okay, I think I scared her enough to keep her from doing that again_. I couldn't figure out why she had breached our physical boundaries, but I sure as Hell wasn't going to allow it to happen again. _I guess I'll have to talk with her after school._

Well, it would have to wait until after tonight's game, but it would come soon enough.

The day progressed as normal, but I found myself watching her differently than usual. I started to notice her curves and how the bow of her lip would flatten out whenever she smiled. _Get it together_ , I told myself.

The second half of the school day went by quickly and I felt confident that I could get through the rest if I kept my thoughts in check. All those carefully built and maintained walks started to crumble when I watched her practicing the halftime show in her little cheer uniform.

"I am a professional, I am a professional…," I muttered to myself as a mantra. I heard a cough and turned to see that stupid kid with the ponytail. "Yes?"

"Are you okay, man?" he asked. I nodded and turned back to the cheerleaders' final run through before the pep rally. "They are nice uniforms," he said. I looked over my shoulder, surprised that he was actually still here, and frowned when he gave me a knowing look. "I won't say anything."

I was about to inquire as to what he meant, but this time he had actually left. As per every Friday, I stayed near the cheering section, keeping near the wall as I surveyed the crowd. Although it was my job to protect Serena, that didn't mean I was being paid to keep an eye on her. On the contrary, I was more required to keep an eye on those around her.

Her school lost the game, but it didn't drop her spirits. In fact, she helped make most of her friends and the guys on the basketball team feel better and hopeful for next week.

She had changed a bit since joining the cheer squad. Serena was a smart girl, or—well—woman, but she went from dressing like an artist with as bohemian of clothes her mother would allow her to buy, to wearing the latest fashions from the mall. Her trademark style of two buns with tails on her hair were traded in for a high-tied ponytail that she secured with a section of hair at the base.

Regardless of how she dressed, I did think she was still beautiful. That was one thought I couldn't suppress, no matter how much I tried.

When she left the locker room I noticed that she wasn't wearing the same clothes that she had gone to school in this morning. Instead, she was now wearing faded, mid-rise jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with an inch of midriff. I gave her a puzzling look when she walked up to me.

"What do you think?" she spun around to show me her outfit. "Mina got it for me since I couldn't go shopping with her after practice yesterday."

"That's nice of her," I replied, focusing on the other part of her statement. Her smile dropped a bit. "Ready to go?"

She nodded and put on her jacket before I led her out to the car. As I buckled my seatbelt, I looked over to see her shedding the jacket and buckling up next to me. Since it was night, the vehicle was dark aside from a small blue light that trailed the edge of the floor. It always casted the most unusual shadows on the inhabitants' faces.

"I need to talk to you about before," I began. "I don't know if I gave you the wrong idea, but you cannot make some of the comments that you've made this week… and you can't just touch my arm like—like we're dating."

Between Serena's almost pout and the blue lights gleaming off her pale skin… oh, they were doing a number on me. "I'm sorry, Darien…" she trailed off as she leaned in further. "I promise not to touch you," she was so close that her breath was dancing off of my cheek, "again."

I closed my eyes and fought the groan aching in my throat. "That's not what I meant," I managed to say through clenched teeth.

Serena brushed her lips on the shell of my ear, "So I _can_ touch you?"

Just as I was about to push her from me and clarify, something took over me and I grabbed her firmly, putting her flush with me. I crushed my lips to hers and there was a tense part of me that seemed to finally be relieved. She reached her hands to my face and trailed one up to grasp my hair.

 _This must be what Heaven feels like_.


	6. Chapter Six - Ramifications

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thank you for the reviews! How is everyone enjoying the story?**

 **Sorry that this chapter is a so short, but it was necessary for the flow of the story. I promise that the next one will be much longer!**

* * *

 **Serena Kelly:**

His lips tasted slightly salty at first, but as soon as he deepened the kiss, it seemed to be washed away. I had never kissed someone so passionately before and I silently wondered if all kisses felt this amazing. As I tightened my grip on his shirt and his hands slid down my body, I angled myself up with my knees on the seat.

Darien's cold hands reached the bare skin at my waist and when I flinched from the sensation he paused. _No, no no no, please don't stop._ He pulled away from me, his eyes wide as his mind seemed to be catching up with the situation. Darien practically dropped me on the floor of the car as he muttered 'fuck' to himself over and over.

"This can't be happening. Fuck. No, I can't—you can't," he looked up at me. "What the fuck were you thinking?" With his elbows on his legs, he dropped his head into his hands. "What the fuck was _I_ thinking? No!" His eyes shot up, "Do you not see why we can't do this? It could mean my _job,_ Serena. And any job I could attempt to get after being fired from this one—you're going to mark me for life! What were you thinking?"

I looked to the front of the car and wondered, if beyond the protective shield, if the driver could hear Darien Shields yelling at me.

"I—I didn't think you'd kiss me. I was only—um," I stopped talking and avoided his gaze. _How the Hell am I going to talk myself out of this?_ "I was just flirting with you for fun, you know, because you can't do anything about it."

Darien raised a fist in the air before lightly resting it on his forehead, "Well, obviously that's a lie." He fanned out his hand on the last word and groaned. "I'm a _guy_ , Serena. You can't just mess with my head like that!"

I gulped and the guilt started creeping in. _But it felt so good…_ "Wait," I looked up, "I may have flirted with you—and perhaps that was an oversight of how I should behave—but _you_ are the one that kissed me."

Darien threw his head back against the leather seat and covered his face with his hands, "This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening…," he muttered over and over again. "If this gets out, I'll—I'll be ruined."

It was such an odd statement to hear a _guy_ say that, but it started turning gears in my mind. "Oh shit." Darien dragged his hands down to his jawline and held them there as he stared at me. "This isn't just about you, or even about me," I began, "if word of this got out…"

"Yes, I know, you'd get in trouble and I'd lose my job."

I shook my head, "No, Darien, this is a national security issue."

His eyes widened as he processed what I was saying. "Shit," he replied. "Forget tabloids, this could fuck us up on the world's stage."

At Darien's words, I continued, "And my father is trying to negotiate peace talks right now with some of the countries in the Middle East. If word of us kissing got out, and then the rumor mill turned it into something more," a sudden thought of what 'more' with Darien could be appeared in my mind, but I shrugged it off for another time, "those nations over there could pull out due to conflicts of morality."

"You know, you're an intelligent woman; far more than those you keep company with give you credit for, but I wish you would have thought of that sooner—before all this!"

My eyes narrowed, "I've only flirted with you a few times and only this week! I think you've been harboring _something_ for me a little longer than that." The look in his eyes told me I was onto something.

"Don't pin this on me." When he saw my expression he raised his hands up, "Okay, okay, don't pin it on _just_ me. Geez, I'm supposed to be protecting you."

I scoffed, "Well, I don't feel protected; I don't feel safe." He glared at me so I added, "Having you around just reminds me that I'm not." He wouldn't respond to that and just faced forward.

After a long silence, I realized that we were nearly back at The White House. "What are we going to do?"

Darien seemed to have been mulling over that for the last few minutes, "I won't tell if you won't tell. That's all I can promise."

I gave him a weird look, but I was willing to accept anything that could fix this situation. "Alright, I won't tell."

"Good," was the last thing I heard him say as he opened the door to the car.

 **Darien Shields:**

I sat in the lobby waiting for Mr. Chiba to get a few spare minutes to talk. If I had told the receptionist why I wanted to speak with him, I bet he would have pulled me in sooner, but I needed to keep the details sparse from those who needn't know.

Luckily there was no basketball game today and Serena—err—Miss Kelly had plans to stay home with her little brother all day. I glanced at my watch, which told me I had been waiting for nearly three hours. _Reminder: Don't get a desk job in government_.

The door opened and Mr. Chiba appeared. "Agent Shields, come on in." I followed him into his office and took the seat offered to me. "So, what did you want to discuss with me today? I heard that you've been waiting a while so it must be important."

I took a deep breath, "Yes, sir. Actually, I need to inform you that I am putting in my two weeks today. I would also like to ask for a reference." I handed him the plain folder I had my letter of resignation in and he laid it on his desk.

Mr. Chiba leaned back in his chair and brought his hand to his chin. "Can I ask why? Did you get a better offer somewhere?"

I couldn't tell if his question was an attempt at humor, but shook my head regardless. "I haven't applied anywhere yet, actually. This is a recent decision."

He nodded, "Did something happen? Or are you no longer… confident in the job?"

My eyes focused on him as I realized what he was asking. "No, sir. I do not doubt my commitment to protect Serena Kelly, or any of her family members, from any enemies."

"Then why do you want to leave such a sought after position, Agent Shields? You do realize that my imagination is going to make the worst assumptions." He picked up the folder, "But, of course, nothing more than a line regarding omission would be on your record. It would, however, affect the reference I can give for you. I can't very well tell another employer that you are dependable if you leave a job without reason."

I cleared my throat, "There was, well, there was almost a situation, but I have remedied it as best one can. As such, I do think it's time to move my employment somewhere else that I can be of service."

"Is that all you can tell me?" he asked.

"Actually, I think it's important that Serena Kelly is given a female agent to replace me."

Mr. Chiba nodded in understanding before he stood up and reached a hand out over the desk. "You're a good man, Agent Shields. I hate to lose you." I shook his hand and he glanced at the letter.

"I kept it vague, sir, but I can write another."

He shook his head, "We should keep this between us, though you have kept it ambiguous even in this office." I walked to the door, but before I reached the handle he spoke up again. "Do you have an ideas for a job?"

I shrugged, "If you have suggestions, I'm open to them. I'd really like to be able to serve my country, but just not… not the way I have been."


	7. Chapter Seven - Reunited

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thank you for the reviews! I hope this chapter makes up for the short cliffhanger I gave you last time.**

* * *

 **Serena Kelly:**

"I suggest using the online book materials to study for the exam next week," my professor announced at the end of class. "You paid a few hundred for that meteorology text, so you might as well use all the resources that come with it." I closed my notebook, along with a hundred other students, and headed up the steps out of the lecture hall.

Trista was standing at the top of the hall, and waited for me to pass her and then followed closely behind me. She was very good at not hovering and allowing me my space, something I demanded when I graduated high school last May.

"I have the right to deny the Secret Service," I had told my mother, "and I _will_ deny it unless they can come up with a plan to give me more space."

I knew that it would be foolish to give up protection completely, but as my father had told me the day we spent together after graduation: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

"Benjamin Franklin said that," he told me as we walked through the National Archives on our private tour. "But don't tell your mother I told you that you can deny service. I know that you've been trying to ditch Agent Meioh since she's been in your service. You didn't do that with your other agent."

I hadn't commented on that, just thanking him for the advice on adjusting my protection parameters.

I had promised Darien not to say anything, and I would keep my end of the agreement even if it did hurt.

It had been eight months since I last saw Darien. He hadn't even told me that he was leaving, which just left me surprised one morning when Mr. Chiba introduced me to Trista. After bugging Sammy's agent enough, he finally told me that Darien had put in his two weeks and was switching careers.

When I prodded more, I got him to tell me that he was busy at the local police academy.

"So he's a cop now," I had asked.

"It would seem so. He didn't tell me why the change of heart, but I doubt it had anything to do with you, Miss Kelly," Agent Furuhata replied. "So don't worry about that."

That's where he was wrong. It _was_ my fault. And the hindsight only intensified the guilt I felt as I thought about my foolish idea that quickly dismantled the chance I had with—well, I had no chance with Darien Shields, really. He had been my agent. Even as time went on, and after graduating high school, that fact wouldn't have changed.

It just wasn't in our cards, I guess.

I walked through the quad with Trista looming behind me. She followed me to my classes, to and from The White House, and anywhere else I deemed her necessary. That meant that I could go to parties without my chaperone, as I had begun to think of her. Aside from Seiya, who now went to the same university as me, always trying to get me to go on a date with him, I didn't encounter many issues.

 _Maybe in three years I could forgo having an agent,_ I thought as I unlocked my phone to scroll through the trending news. Although I had started to pick up an interested in nation and world politics, nothing was out of the ordinary today. That is, until I saw the local news headline: DC officer shot in line of duty.

My feet locked under me and I reached out to steady myself, but I was outside where there are no walls. Trista came up behind me and asked if there was something wrong.

"I—uh—I don't know yet," I answered as I scrolled through the first article that popped up, not caring for the source. No name was given so I moved to the next and then the next. It seemed that they weren't releasing the name yet until family had been notified and, oddly, that gave me a sense of calm.

 _It's sad, but Darien told me he didn't have any family, so—well, then again I guess they would state that in an article whether someone had family or not_.

"Serena," Trista asked for me and I realized that she had answered a phone call. _Please, no._ "Your brother's agent has been called away on personal business so he will under the care of another agent in the meantime. Your mother thought you should know."

I sighed. _Okay, that's not what I thought she was going to say._

But that wouldn't get the thought out of my mind. _What if it was Darien? What if he's badly wounded or—or—_ I couldn't bring myself to say it, but it was there. The thought was small but mighty and I wasn't sure I could go to my afternoon class.

I told Trista that I was going to skip and spend the time studying for my other class' exam coming up, which I did do to keep my mind off of the news from time to time. My phone dinged around five from the alert I had enabled about the trending topic, and I tried to steady my breathing as my eyes scanned the page: Former secret service agent Darien Shields wounded in line of duty.

"Serena?" Trista asked as she opened her off-campus house that the Secret Service had provided her. "You never come here."

"I know, I need your help."

Trista nodded and her methodical demeanor returned, "Alright. What do you need?"

"I need you to help me sneak into the hospital." Her puzzling look told me to continue, "My former agent, Darien Shields, is there and I need to see him. I _have_ to see that he's alright. But I don't want the press to know that I'm going there."

"Alright, I think I can manage that. I'll have to call the hospital first," she stated.

I plopped down on the couch and cracked my knuckles nervously, "I can wait."

Trista left the room which also left me to my thoughts… which was a dangerous place for me to be. _He can't die. I haven't told him I—_ I shook my head and stood up, coincidentally when Trista walked back in.

"Alright, so we can go through the back entrance in my personal vehicle. You should disguise yourself a bit." Trista retreated upstairs and beckoned me to follow. "I'll get you some clothes to wear. We're roughly the same size, right?"

 _Yeah, except you're ten inches taller than me. A mini dress would be a shirt on me!_

She tossed me an old beige cardigan and a black, large-rim hat. After digging through her closet, she handed me a large pair of sunglasses and then dressed in a similar style.

"I assume you don't want me to go in, seeing as you go to parties with underage drinking every weekend without notifying me."

I swallowed hard and forced a smile, "But I'm always safe!" She gave me a look, "Okay, I'm sorry, but I don't need protection there. I'm just with friends." It was a flat out lie as there was no way to _really_ control who went to a house party; literally anything could happen.

Trista was silent as we drove. Just as she didn't hover or berate me too much about my decisions, she didn't pry into my personal life, which I was grateful for as I still wouldn't tell anyone about the kiss that Darien and I had shared so many months ago. _If I could just feel his lips again…_ but I shook the thought from my head.

With the hospital I just needed a ride and this disguise. Trista had a plan to get me there, so I just needed to be smart about my time there.

When I reached the nurse for the front desk and asked for his room number, she requested that I fill out the guest log. _Shit, how did I not think of this? How did Trista not think of this?_ I pondered what I should do as the nurse began to look at me skeptically, but I noticed that she wasn't at an angle to fully read what I would write.

I jotted down the first thing that came to my mind and the date and time of arrival. After an elevator ride and several twists and turns around the hospital, I finally saw his room at the end of the hall.

 _You can do this_ , I encouraged myself as I pushed forward. Knocking on the door, I waited for a response but heard none. A nurse walking by stopped and asked who I was, to which I responded 'friend.' He told me that Darien was only recently out of a second surgery to repair the damage and wouldn't be awake yet, but that I could go in.

I entered the room and saw him lying there, attached to dozens of cords, wires, and everything else. "Darien," I whispered as I knelt down next to the bed and grabbed his hand.

The news report told me that there had been a domestic abuse call from a mother about her husband and their two children. Darien had tried to intervene when the husband brandished a gun and, as a result, was shot twice in the chest.

The first didn't hit anything too important, but the second destroyed a section of his collarbone and got lodged there.

"You saved them," I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand. "You shouldn't have left me, but you saved them. You _saved_ them." I wasn't sure about those stories that said people who were asleep being able to understand what's going on around them, but if there was one thing I could tell him, it was that his efforts hadn't been in vain. The man who shot him was in jail and would be tried on domestic abuse charges as well as shooting a police officer.

I only stayed there for another thirty minutes before I snuck back out to Trista's car.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" I asked her.

"Of course. Was he awake?"

"No," I replied simply and Trista put the car in drive.

The next day I went through the same process to get to his room, but this time he was awake and eating simple foods.

"Hey," I said as I opened the door.

"Uh, hi," he tried to sit up but winced in pain. "I didn't think I would get any guests other than Drew. Who are you?"

I smiled as I realized that he couldn't tell who I was with my disguise on. "Who do you think?"

Darien's eyes widened and then he smiled, "S—Serena? Wow, what are you doing here?"

I pulled a chair up next to his bed and explained how I found out about him being injured, snuck into the hospital and visited him the day before. Then I gave him an update about the family that I compiled from multiple news sources to insure it was as factual as possible. When all of that was said, the silence begged me to ask, "Why did you leave me?"

He furrowed his brow, "I had to leave, Serena, and you know why. I'm lucky I got this job." I laughed sarcastically and leaned in.

"That _family_ is lucky you got this job. I won't hold it over you forever, but you have to tell me one thing."

Darien sighed, "What's the one thing?"

"Do you care for me at all?" He furrowed his brow again, but wouldn't answer.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot discuss that. It's inappropriate to even entertain what you're asking."

Although my mood was brought down by his answer, his way of deflecting gave me hope. _He just needs to come to terms with it. I know he must have felt what I did._

I visited him in secret a couple more times, and even brought real food with me. "That's where they get their money," I told him, "by keeping you weak with their food." He seemed to enjoy my dorm-style cooking, but I decided to get some quality carry out the day after. When his doctor came in on the fourth day, he informed us that Darien could check out the next morning.

Agent Furuhata was taking the day off of work to insure that Darien transitioned to being at home well. I worried about him being home alone after everything, but he assured me that he would be fine.

I knew I couldn't visit him at his apartment; it would be too risky, at least for what he feared would happen. I forced him to give me his number so that I could text him between classes, when he wasn't resting. As the week went on, I got more daring in my messages and would add suggestions about not worrying what people might think if I visited him, but that didn't go over well.

What _did_ go over well were my texts that gave other 'suggestions':

– _Remember when they changed your bandage while I was in the room? That was a nice view._

– _Oh? You liked that huh?_ ;)

– _I'd like to feel your chest under my fingertips… or maybe my chest._

– _Under? I like what you're implying there, Sere._ :P

And then, of course, there was the night with the egging on for photos, which, yes, was started by me:

– _Just one pic? Nothing too scandalous. You can keep your bandage on._

– _Sere… That's going a little far._

– _Don't be lame. I'll send you one._

After about fifteen minutes, I figured that he had gone to bed and was about to plug up my phone when it lit up again. It was a mostly shirtless picture that only showed the edge of his sweats and the bottom of his chin. Before I could finish ogling the photo, my phone buzzed again:

– _I better never find this on the internet. This is for your personal enjoyment only._ ;)

And then before I could reply, he sent another message:

– _Gonna pay up?_ _Please don't be topless._

I smiled as I dug through my underwear drawer for the one black, lacey bra I owed. Changing out of my old volleyball tee, I fastened the bra and checked myself out in the mirror. _Technically I won't be_ ' _topless_.'

"Up or down?" I asked aloud as I played with my hair. "Down, because I shouldn't show my face," I decided. I pulled my long, blonde hair over my left shoulder so that I could show off my 'good side.' It wasn't two minutes from pressing 'send' that Darien responded:

– _You're going to break my resolve, Sere._

– _But you're absolutely beautiful._

I smiled at his texts and then sent a short 'goodnight' to keep a little mystery in the mix. _I think I almost have him_ , I thought to myself as I closed my eyes.

Over the next couple of days, I tried to get him to go out with me on Saturday. I had a thing I told my mother I would go to on Saturday evening, but I'd cancel if it meant I could see Darien. As luck would have it, not even my idea to go grocery shopping together could convince him.

– I actually have something I have to do that night. I'm sorry. :(

I didn't reply to his message, or the ones that followed asking if I was alright. I stayed in my old room on Friday night and spent the morning with Sammy. My mother had a dress ordered for me and Beryl brought it to my room around three.

"Great, pink. My favorite color," I muttered to myself. I didn't know why I needed a new dress when I already had plenty. "Wait," I dropped the ugly, satin dress on my bed and fanned through my closet. When I found the item I was looking for, I pulled it off the hanger and started getting ready.

A couple hours later, most of which was spent curling my crazy-ass-long hair, I met my family in the private living room. My father beamed when I entered while my mother appeared pissed.

"Serena, you look lovely," my father kissed the top of my head. "We hardly see you around here anymore."

I laughed at that. "You mean Sammy barely sees me. I haven't seen much of you in years." It was meant to be a light joke, but his smile turned into a slight frown. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

He pulled me into a side hug, "That's alright, Cherry Berry. I'll try to set aside some time again soon for just us; maybe even a family day. I don't want to wait till Christmas to spend time with you guys."

Although it was a nice thought, I wasn't going to be holding my breath. He could schedule all he wants, but something could come up; possibly something we wouldn't know until history allowed to us in a few decades.

"So, what's this dinner for anyways?" I asked, ignoring my mother's glare.

Sammy walked up to me and grabbed my hand, "Honoring our heroes." I smiled down at him.

"Well, that's nice," I replied as we walked into the grand hall to begin the receiving line.

 **Darien Shields:**

I had been cleared to stop re-bandaging my collarbone by my doctor, but that didn't mean the pain was gone. She told me that it would range from painful to just sore for several more months, but if the pain got to be too much I could see her for ways to manage it. At least we were on the same page about not getting me addicted to pills.

It felt weird to be back at The White House, but I had been invited to this heroes' dinner without much room to decline. I didn't want to be thrusted into the spotlight anymore than I already had been, but I supposed it was necessary if I wanted to get on President Kelly's good side.

 _I guess being invited to such an event helps_ , I thought as I recalled my recent texts with Serena.

I fastened the buttons on my rented tuxedo as I stepped out of the vehicle that was sent to pick me up. _Here goes nothing_. I walked up the steps into the impressive mansion for the first time in several months and saw the receiving line not too far from the grand dining room. My foot froze me in place as I saw that Serena was greeting a few senators.

Her shapely figure was displayed fully in the black dress she was wearing and her hair was draped down her back in curls. I swallowed hard as I realized that I was going to have to pretend this was the first I had talked to her since being her agent.

When she glanced down the line to see how many more people were waiting to greet them, I tried to subtly get her attention, but she didn't see me. I reached President Kelly and he beamed brightly, "Officer Shields! It's so wonderful to see you again." I smiled and shook his hand, but glanced to the right to see Serena's mouth agape.

Quickly, she recomposed herself and tried to act indifferent. Though I understood why, something about her actions seemed to hurt.

"Serena, it's Darien Shields. Remember, he used to be your agent?" First Lady Irene Kelly commented.

Serena exhaled, "Yes, mother. I'm not five. I can remember last year when he _left_ to join the police force."

When I reached Serena in the line, she extended her hand. The simple touch shocked me with desire to pull her into my embrace and I wondered when exactly I had fallen for her. I gave her a warm smile, but she responded with a terse one and moved on to the couple behind me in line.

 _What did I do wrong?_

As dinner started, I realized how glad I actually was to be recognized at the event because it meant I was seated towards the front and had a good view of her. I tried to get her attention a few times, but she was focused on other things.

As the president gave his speech, I zoned out for a bit thinking about her. _She's nineteen now, I was only her agent for a small while… that's not so bad, right?_ But then other thoughts came to mind; _I thought she was interested in me, but now it seems like I repel her. What could have happened?_

A hand of a man seated next to meat grasped my shoulder. I looked over and realized that I had zoned out for too long and missed something. Up on the stage I saw President Kelly holding something metallic and gesturing for me to join him.

I adjusted my coat again as I stood up and met him by the podium. I said a simple thank you to him and those that had gathered tonight before exiting the stage. The plaque was engraved with my name, the year and the words: "Making the Future of America Better."

A few more awards were given out and then the floor opened for dancing. I avoided the floor like the plague and hid out with Andrew by the drinks table. When I looked over to one of the exits, I noticed Serena standing there waiting. Once she saw my eyes on her, she nodded her head at the door and then left.

"Hey, Drew, I'll see you in a bit," I told him as I made my way through the crowd. The hallway was bare, aside from a couple agents strewn about, and I looked to the left and the right. I heard a cough and looked left to see Serena poke her head out of a room. "Hey," I said as I reached her.

The room was dark, but when I reached for the light switch she grabbed my hand. "We need to talk."

"If your earlier actions were any indication, it seems that the time for that has passed," I stated as I walked back to the door. Serena grabbed my hand.

"Wait," she said, "I'm—I'm sorry for how I acted. It's just—," she paused.

"It's just what?"

Serena sighed, "I really like you, okay? And it's not some childish crush or an infatuation from constant proximity."

"Sere—."

"Let me finish, please?" she began pacing. "I think there might be something here and I'd like to see where it could go. I thought that after our messages things were changing, but I need to kno—."

I held up my hands, "Okay, hold it." Serena stopped walking and turned her head. "I feel the same way." I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms, connecting our lips for the second time. She clutched the back on my neck and the hairs stood up on contact. Serena moaned softly into the kiss and parted her lips slightly.

When we thought we heard something, we disconnected and looked to the door quickly. Seeing that it must have been from the hallway, she looked back to me. "Wh—what are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Serena walked up to me. "Well, are we dating? Are you finally going to be okay being seen with me in public?"

I smiled as I remembered my plans. "Yes, but not just yet. I think it's important to talk to your father first." Serena opened her mouth to protest but I stepped forward. "Not like that; I'm not asking for his permission, but I do think it's important he knows that we are together because this will be very public once people find out about us."

"Well, what's there to find out if we're not even together yet?" she furrowed her brow.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her body against my chest. Her heart was racing and her breathing shallow as I leaned close to her ear, "Who said I was going to wait? We just have to be careful for now." I smiled into the kisses I placed down her jawline. Serena's hands tightened their hold on my jacket as I trailed them down her neck.

When I brought my lips back to her, she moaned into the kiss and I realized just how much I wanted to keep hearing her make that sound.


	8. Chapter Eight - Blackmail

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Such wonderful and long reviews this time! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and all those who read the last chapter.**

* * *

 **Serena Kelly:**

"Darien!" I squealed as he nuzzled my neck. "You have to stop that!"

His head bobbed up and his smile seemed child-like. "Why? You seem to be enjoying it."

I shrugged out from under him and snatched my sneakers by the bed. "Because I have to meet the girls. It's the only weekend we've been able to all commit to." It was amazing how much I had connected with them through a half a year of schooling, whereas I had barely talked to Molly from my old high school. I guess people just drift apart, but I was glad that some people found their way to each other.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he said almost out of breath.

The corners of my lips turned up though they had been practically stuck in that position for the last couple of weeks. I leaned over the edge of the bed where he had moved to his side. Darien pulled me down again and hugged my body to his.

"I think that can be arranged, but it'll have to be at my dorm." Darien was about to kiss me, but stilled at my words. "I'll have to step out for like twenty minutes for a meeting with the RA, but otherwise I'm all yours."

"Sere…"

I sighed. We had tried to schedule a time to meet with my father, but go figure, it was hard to get a meeting with the most powerful man on the Earth. As such, Darien and I had worked hard to keep our relationship secret, though it was something I addressed with Trista right away.

"I know that you don't want to be seen there, but I'm sure we'll find a way to sneak you in," I gave him a quick peck and got off the bed.

"I think I can figure a way out then. Meet me out front?" he asked. I agreed before grabbing my jacket.

* * *

"So," Mina drawled out and she stirred her milkshake, "any cute guys in your classes?"

Ami laughed, "Statistically there has to be at least _some_ cute guys in her classes."

I popped another fry in my mouth and shrugged, "I guess so, but I'm not really paying attention to them."

Lita nudged me, "So a professor then?"

Ami and Mina's eyes bulged and Raye pointed a finger accusingly at me. "I knew it! You _have_ been MIA lately. You're dating a professor, aren't you?"

Although Raye and I weren't in the same major, we were in the same university and college. This meant that I saw her more than the others girls, but luckily she stayed in another hall.

"I'm not dating a professor, but," I paused and thought about whether or not I should say something. _I really want to tell someone. Maybe I can just mention that there_ is _someone?_ "I am seeing someone right now, but we're just starting to go out so I can't tell you who." _There, that should suffice_ , but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Eeee!" Mina squealed. "You have to tell us who it is!" The rest of them agreed, though Ami just shyly nodded.

"I told you that I can't. As soon as it's official I will tell you all right away," I promised. "So, when are we going to Lita's family's cabin?"

* * *

"Hey," I greeted. "Are you here yet?"

"Just pulled in. I brought pizza," Darien replied.

"A man after my own heart. I'll be right down," I said as I grabbed my key card. When I reached the sidewalk, I couldn't see anyone.

"You shouldn't have downgraded your detail," a voice behind me said. I turned around to see Darien hidden with a dark hoodie and a baseball cap. "I scared you, didn't I?"

My hand was still clutching my chest, no words had escaped and I was focused on my pounding heart. "Darien Shields," I growled as I swatted his arm. My only regret is that I almost made him drop our food.

"Hey, _hey_ ," he warned, "don't say my name out loud."

I peeped around us and then shrugged. "No one's out here. Com'on." I led us back to the door, swiped my card, and led us up to my room. Luckily, no one was in the hallway, but we still mad-dashed from the stairwell to my door. "Tell me you got supreme, Shields."

Darien chuckled as he opened the box. The smell of hot cheese and garlic wafted through the air. "Of course. It's only the second best flavor, and the best flavor is controversial." I had already grabbed a slice and was midway through devouring it when my ears perked at that.

"And what flavor would that be?" _Please don't be pineapple. Please don't be pineapple._

"Ham and pineapple, but sometimes I like to add tomatoes." Darien almost fell to the floor when a dense throw pillow collided with his face. "Hey!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry," I stood up from the pizza, "but I can't date someone that's willing to eat something so, _so_ gross." As soon as I turned from the desk, I turned back and grabbed the box. "I'll keep this, but you can see yourself out."

"Oh, yeah?" he said as he came up behind me. "After all the drama, pineapple on pizza is what's going to drive us apart?"

"Mmhm," I said with another bite full of supreme pizza.

Darien wrapped his left arm around me and snaked the right one up my body. "So you're saying that there isn't _anything_ I can do to change your mind?" I leaned my head back against his collarbone as his hand teased the area beneath my breast.

"That's not fair," I whispered.

"Who said anything about fair?" His breath was hot on my ear and I let out a small moan from the feeling of his hand. But all that came to a halt as I felt the box of pizza leave my hand.

"Hey!" I shouted. Darien stood behind me with a slice hanging from his teeth and a defensive stance with the now closed box. "Now it's really not fair!"

"You were going to break up with me over that?"

I smiled, "No, I couldn't break up with you. Now, com'on, let's eat in peace." After some more convincing, territorial-Darien allowed me to open the box again so that we could finish our dinner. "You were joking before when you tried to use—erm—pleasure as a bargaining tool, right?"

Darien's eyebrow arched and then fell. "Oh, you mean when I—," he trailed off as his eyes flitted to my chest. "I wouldn't have made that joke if I didn't feel comfortable with you; if I didn't know that you were comfortable with me."

"I do feel comfortable with you Darien, but do you thi—," I began to say as a knock on the door echoed through the room. Looking to the clock, I realized that time had gotten away from us.

"Meeting in five minutes!" a voice bellowed beyond the door.

"I'm sorry, but I have that meeting—."

"No," Darien waved, "it's fine. I actually brought a couple movies, but I left them in the car."

I pulled him up off the bed and opened my wallet to slide out my key card. "Well, here, so that you don't get locked out." I opened the door and was about to give him a quick kiss when I saw the other tenants of my hall all leaving their rooms. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

 **Darien Shields:**

I waited until it looked like the hallway was clear and then made for my escape. When I had passed most of the dorms, I heard one open and someone talking.

"Better get to your meeting, man. I'll catch ya tomorrow," a male voice said. I turned back and couldn't believe my luck. _It's that guy with the ponytail_. "Hey, you," he said as he walked up to me.

"Uh, sorry. I have to go." I hurried down the stairwell and rushed to my car. At this point I figured I was going to have to leave and text Serena what had happened, but he caught up to me.

"Are you messing around with Serena?" he asked, not missing a beat. "I know that she lives on that floor."

I winced, "Are you stalking her?"

"Are _you_?"

"I'm dating her," I announced. As soon as I saw the look on his face I realized my mistake, but then again, getting caught at her dorm had been a mistake too. "You can't say anything."

The evil grin that appeared on that idiot's face worried me. "Oh… so this is a secret? I wonder how the president would feel about his daughter and her agent screwing." I didn't bother correcting him on that last part, instead I told him that we were about to tell Serena's father and that it would be pointless to attempt to blackmail us. "Ah, yes, but I don't think you'll be telling him all that I know."

"And what would that _all_ be?"

He stepped forward, too close to be comfortable, but I allowed him to do so in hopes that no one else would overhear us. "I saw you the night right before you abruptly left. I saw the lust you felt for her. A Secret Service agent leaves his eighteen-year-old charge so quickly? I _wonder_ what could have happened," he grinned. "And all I need is that little bit of truth to make all my lies valuable."

My eyes widened, "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, wouldn't I? I want Serena and you seem to be the thing that's been in my way all along. All I need to do is remove you," he said. Though I doubted Serena would ever date Seiya, I couldn't think of any easy way out of this. "End it. Now."

"What makes you think I'm scared of you? I am a decorated member of this community."

Seiya smirked, "Which would make your downfall oh, the sweeter. I suggest you end it immediately unless you want to end up on the newsstand. You have two days and I want proof." He turned and walked away with his hand waving me off.

 _Shit_.

I grabbed the movies and retreated to Serena's room before the hallway got crowded again. When she walked in ten minutes later, she was so happy and thrilled to be back. "So what'd you bring?" she asked as she fanned through the choices.

 _I can't do this. I can't leave her_ , I thought as she slid her selection into her laptop. _I can't destroy her like this… but she knew that this would be difficult for us_.

Serena snuggled in my arms as the FBI warning appeared on screen. _There's no way that this won't destroy my career, and Serena's before she even gets started._ As I weighed my two difficult choices, I felt Serena turn in to my embrace and began kissing my neck. I closed my eyes as she slid her hand under my shirt.

 _I should stop this. If I'm not going to be with her then this is wrong_.

Her lips moved against my stubbled chin and it tickled; it made my stomach jerk crazily. I moved her overtop of me as I slid down her pillows. "I'm glad we have this time together," I whispered as I pulled her in for a kiss. I figured that I would give us one last night; one final evening to be happy and to be together.

I wouldn't take it too far, something she seemed to be wanting; but I needed this last memory of her soft moans and smiles and touches and flinches.

And I fought the tears that wanted to break free as I realized something for the first time: _I love you, Serena Kelly_.


	9. Chapter Nine - No Thanks & Giving In

**This Sailor Moon story is set in an alternate universe with some of my own original characters. Sailor Moon and the cast belong to the magnificent Naoko Takeuchi.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Again, thank you so much for the fantastic reviews and all those who read the last chapter.**

 **To answer the questions about Darien: Consider his background and what he's dealt with regarding his family. There's definitely more to his reasoning and that will be expanded on in the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Serena Kelly:**

I was wearing heels. _Heels_.

 _This is what dating Darien has reduced me to_ , I thought as I peered around the corner again. They were only an inch and a half tall, but I felt flirty and fun wearing them with my jeans.

It was nine in the morning and my father had yet to postpone Darien's meeting, which was a good sign. When I peered around the corner again I saw him. I knew my face lit up because the apples of my cheeks were in my line of sight. I rushed over to him, but midway I got a weird vibe from him. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"We need to talk, Sere." Darien grabbed my arm and pulled me further down the hall away from too many open doors. "I'm sorry that I have to do it like this, but… we need to break up."

"Br—break up?" I blinked several times trying to come up with more words than the obvious. "Why?" I asked, unsuccessful in my attempt.

"This isn't working out. With you being part of my former job, it's just—we were foolish to think we could make this work."

The air tasted stale and my ankles started to hurt. _He's breaking up with me?_ Tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to suavely wipe them away, but it was not lost on him. Before I could question him further, a voice interrupted us.

"Serena? Officer Shields?" my father asked.

 **Darien Shields:**

"Good morning, Mr. President," I greeted as he reached his hand for mine. When I shook his hand, he brought his left one over and grasped both tightly.

"My apologies that it's taken this long to get your meeting scheduled," President Kelly said. "I have some time now, if you wouldn't mine moving it up a bit?"

I looked to Serena who seemed to have composed herself rather quickly. Although I had suspected this reaction from her, there was no preparation that would have made it easier. I gave her a small smile and left her there.

As President Kelly gestured for me to walk down the hall towards the Oval Office, we ran into Damon Silver, his Chief of Staff. I remembered Serena complaining about him when the president finalized his cabinet. At least she didn't have to see him much.

"Good morning, Sir," he said. "You're not supposed to meet with Darien Shields for another half hour."

"Yes, but since I finished my last meeting early I thought I'd insure that Agent Shields here didn't get postponed again," President Kelly said.

"Uh, officer, Sir," I corrected.

The president gave me a sideways glance, "We'll see."

Damon walked with us to the Oval Office and went inside as well. _Why is he here? How am I supposed to talk to him about dat—well, I guess I don't have to worry about that_. I had been trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, thinking of any _other_ reason I might have wanted to meet with the president other than dating his daughter. He gestured for me to sit on the couch across from him and Damon sat next to him.

I cleared my throat as the two men before me seemed to await my start; one more eager than the other who looked a little pissed to be bothered with this meeting.

"I think I know why you've been trying to get this meeting, Mr. Shields," President Kelly said.

"Sir?" I sat up straighter, hoping that his inference wasn't my original topic.

"At the heroes' dinner, I suspected as much."

 _Shit, he does know. First I was going to explain that I was dating his daughter, and now I have to explain that I'm_ not _dating his daughter._ I sighed and then remembered where I was. Damon gave me a strange look. _This is stupid. If I could get Damon to leave then perhaps I could try to explain this situation? And maybe explain what Seiya is attempting?_ I felt hopeful suddenly and was about to jump the gun when President Kelly continued.

"You're interested in joining the Service again."

My eyebrows furrowed, my throat became dry, and my head was swarming. _What?_ Damon Silver looked just as surprised as I felt.

"And given how abruptly you left before I can see why you wouldn't talk with Alan Chiba first. You want a recommendation from me."

I cocked my head to the side, and held up an index finger, "I—uh—I don't know what to say."

"Well," he leaned back and rested the back of his fingers under his lip, "I can say that I'm very interested in having you back on the team. I do not know your reasoning for leaving before, but I know that you can definitely be trusted to protect those that mean the most to me."

"Sir, if you mean being an agent for Serena...," I trailed off.

"Of course, I do." He stood up and walked to the fireplace and looked over his shoulder. "I suggested that she dial back her detail, but I'm an overprotective father who made her a target. I know that she doesn't use Agent Meioh nearly as much as I'd like her to, and perhaps its wishful thinking, but she never pulled that stuff with you."

Seeing as he was now standing, I got up from my seat. "Serena was younger then and a lot has changed since I was her agent." _A lot_. "What makes you think I'll be any better of an agent for her than Tri—I mean—Agent Meioh?"

I couldn't see his expression as he gestured to Damon who, in turn, stood up and left the room.

"We received intel last week that indicated someone might be watching my daughter. It could be nothing, but it makes me concerned. On top of that, Mr. Chiba was just informed that my daughter is planning a few days away in a cabin at the end of next month and I want you to accompany her."

"Well, I don't know if Mr. Chiba would want me to fill that role again, but I'm not scheduled to return to work for another few weeks as I'm still healing," I explained.

President Kelly nodded, "So long as you start as soon as you are able, I will be able to stop stressing over my—," he muttered something before clearing his throat, "baby girl. And Mr. Chiba will take my recommendation; you needn't worry about that."

 **Serena Kelly:**

"Mina, how much did you pack?" I shouted as I waited for her to walk out of her house again. Looking at the state of my trunk, I was glad that I only offered to give her a lift to the cabin as I wouldn't have had enough room for anyone else's stuff. "We're only going away for a few days."

Mina stepped on the porch again with another suitcase and a pillow. After locking her door she turned and smiled, "I think it's important to be prepared! You know, they're forecasting a snowstorm this weekend?"

"So long as it waits until I'm off the road, I couldn't care less," I grumbled. I glanced down the street to see Darien leaning against his black Escalade. _Why does he have to look at me like that?_

It had been six weeks since Darien simultaneously broke up with me and replaced Trista as my agent. Aside from clarifying that we were no longer dating, we kept the personal conversations to a minimum; something that I had become a little used to with Trista. The newsstands went crazy for a week about the 'agent turned officer turned agent again' topic that Darien had conjured.

It was torture. I didn't know why he didn't want to be with me anymore and I didn't know why he agreed to be my agent again. And if he kept staring at me like _that_ … I groaned as Mina shut the trunk.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I looked over at Darien once more, giving him the most angered glare a person can give from 50 yards.

"Nothing," I said as I walked around and got in the car. When I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw Darien get into his car and start in our direction. _Bastard_.

I allowed Mina to deejay our ride up the Blue Ridge Mountains so that I could avoid the conversation that I knew was coming, but halfway into our journey it started anyways.

"Soo, what's going on with you and your agent?"

I scoffed, "There's nothing going on with me and that asshole. I can't believe I ever liked him." I hoped that she would assume as crush from when he first was my agent.

"You know," she stretched her arms forward, "I thought that he might be the guy you were dating before—you know—when you told us you were dating someone. How's that going?"

"We broke up."

"Oh?" Mina asked bemusedly. "So can you tell me now?"

I looked over to her and then back to the road, "I can't. I'm sorry, but for the same reason I couldn't tell you then, I can't tell you now." Mina slid her boots off and put them up on the dashboard.

"That's… alright, I guess."

We moved to talking about Kevin, Mina's current crush, and then to the horseback riding we would get to do on our trip, and all the treats Lita was planning for us. Although I got an earful from my mother for missing Thanksgiving, I knew that I would enjoy the holiday more with my friends than seeing my father pardon a turkey. My only regret was that Sammy wouldn't be able to find a more personable way to spend the holiday as my parents would be too busy to share in any real traditions with him.

The road started to become twisty with the natural curves of the mountains. I cut my speed since I wasn't used to the area and was worried that the roads could be slicker than they looked. I noticed that Darien followed suit and suddenly wished I had gunned the last yellow light, but alas, he still had his GPS which would have directed him to Lita's family's cabin.

When we finally pulled into the long driveway of the cabin, I saw that Raye's beetle and Lita's truck were already there. I hollered for the girls to come help us with Mina's kitchen sink while Mina howled like a wolf.

Lita rushed out and handed Darien a map and key that she had taken the liberty of picking up from the office. Although her family owned their cabin, there were plenty of cabins in the campground that were available to rent. Darien had arranged for the small cabin closest to us and had already walked down the narrow path that connected to the two, duffle bag in hand.

There was a time when he would have helped with the bags, although not in his job description, but that time was gone. Even though he was around a lot more than Trista had been, his interaction was far less. He watched from a distance and he didn't speak. It was like he was a ghost.

"Hey," Raye said, breaking me out of my stupor, "how was the trip?"

I grabbed my two bags, "It was okay. What are the plans for tonight?"

After we got settled in our rooms, we went outside to collect some wood to build a bonfire. Lita was grilling out and Ami had suggested making s'mores while we were here. I looked to the front porch and saw Darien doing something with the door, but snapped my head away before he could see me looking at him.

As night fell, the glow of the fire made it harder to see anything far beyond us. Though I couldn't see him, I could feel Darien's eyes on me. I shivered when a cool breeze came by and felt the weight of a blanket laid on my shoulders.

I expected, or perhaps hoped, that it would be Darien who had noticed I was lacking warmth, but looking up I saw Ami smiling at me. "I told you the fire wouldn't be enough," she said.

The next morning Lita let me help her make breakfast: cheese and ham omelettes with toast and juice. And yes, I helped with more than the toast.

We loaded up the two others cars and drove further up the mountain to the stables that Lita had recommended for our main activity. With some instruction, we were led up and down mountain trails, each with our own horse. As we were riding, I wondered where Darien could be, but when I saw him trailing far behind us with another instructor... that's when I got upset instead of mad.

I hated that he broke off our relationship; I hated that he wouldn't talk to me more about what had happened, so it was fair to say I was pissed. That being my gut reaction kept me from really crying much as I knew how many hours he had to put in being my agent; there would be no time for him to socialize and meet other women.

However, he now seemed to be flirting with the other instructor in the back of our group and I was—what?—was I really crying? We had stopped at a small clearing and I knew that it wouldn't take long for him to catch up and see me. On instinct, I snapped the reigns and caused my horse to go into a frenzy.

I suppose my goal was to get away from the situation, but the exact opposite happened.

I couldn't remember much of what happened, as it went by so fast, but I was suddenly staring up at the sky.

"Serena!" the girls yelled. Right after them I heard Darien call my name as well. The wind was knocked out of me so there was no way to get up fast enough before Darien's black bangs blocked out the looming sun.

"Serena, are you alright?" he asked. I nodded slightly as I tried to get up. "No, give yourself a moment; don't rush." He asked the instructor something, but I was too focused on my embarrassment. "Alright," Darien began, "you ladies can stay here and finish your activities for the day. I'll make sure that Serena gets to the cabin."

No one argued with him, as I suspected his authority over me gave him that right to tell everyone what the plan would be. Darien helped me up and then onto his horse. He saddled up right behind me, wrapped a free arm around my waist, and headed back down the trail.

Having him so close to me like that was making me feel dizzy and I realized that this was by far the closest we had been in several weeks. Unfortunately, the female instructor had accompanied us back down to insure we didn't get lost or hurt so there was no way I could address him.

They talked a bit, and I listened silently as the weight of their obvious attraction crumpled my heart.

My opportunity to say something came when I was seated in the back of Darien's vehicle, but the moment was gone and I had lost the courage to say anything. Darien looked at me a few times in the rearview mirror before he said anything.

"How are you feeling?"

 _Sick. I hate looking at you and I hate it when you look at me._

"I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?"

 _AM I SURE? Let's see, you did this to me and I'm trying to make the best of the situation, but you can just shov—_

"Yeah," I replied.

The silence resumed until he parked at the cabin I was staying in. I thanked him for the ride and headed up to the porch with Lita's key in my hand when I heard footsteps behind me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm not going to leave you alone while your friends are out," he smiled.

I turned the knob, "Well, thanks, but I'm fine." I shut the door behind me and moved to the side so he couldn't see me. Seeing his reflection from the hall mirror, I watched him stand there for another minute before turning away.

I kept myself busy with a complicated puzzle until the girls got back. Ami helped me complete it while the others worked on dinner. Later that night I finally cried myself to sleep for the first time.

 **Darien Shields:**

I went back to my cabin and tossed a frozen meal into the microwave, but I didn't have much of an appetite.

"Why does this have to be so hard?" I asked the empty room. "Why can't I get over her?"

I shoveled some of the stroganoff into my mouth and swallowed. "If she would just _stop looking at me like that_ ," I groaned. "She deserves better than I can give her. Why can't she see that?"

If I could, I would have taken an early night, but as planned, I waited until the last light went out at her cabin before I turned in. My alarm system was turned up so it could wake me in case of an emergency.

The next day went about the same, aside from Serena injuring herself, and I got an alert on my phone about a snowstorm coming in. Just as the ladies were heading back to their cabin, half an inch had fallen with more on the way.

I pulled a blanket over me as I watched the local television and sipped my dark roast. There was a knock on the door and when I looked over I saw Lita through the window.

"Yes?" I asked after opening the front door.

"I suspect you've been eating junk for the last few days, so I brought you this," Lita handed me a plate of food wrapped in clear saran.

I smiled at the gesture, "Well, they're TV dinners, but from the healthy section of the grocery store."

Lita scoffed, "Like I said, junk. Happy Thanksgiving."

She waved and retreated back to her friends. The plate was overfilled with a turkey leg, a baked sweet potato, fried zucchini, and a zesty couscous. _Serena sure has some talented friends_.

The next morning we were all scheduled to leave, but the snow had piled up too much making the trip dangerous. I bundled up warmly and trudged through heaps of the new wonderland to check on them. It was only Friday so they all agreed to stay out one more day since the snow seemed to be slowing down.

Serena seemed annoyed to see me there and I was determined to leave her be when Raye offered me a cup of hot cocoa. "It's awfully cold out there. We can't just let you sit alone in that cabin," she reasoned.

Serena was going to interject when Lita piped in. "I'm making turkey and dumplings all day and Serena's going to help me make some dessert."

"Uh, test the dessert," she corrected.

Lita shook her head, laughing, "Anyways, we'd love to have you, but don't wish to be a distraction."

"Oh, well I don't function in the same capacity as I did last year, but I really shouldn't impose—."

"Nonsense!" Mina shouted. "Just stay for a bit?"

I relented and was immediately bombarded with questions and food while dark cloud loomed in the corner. I shied away from the more personal questions, but delighted in the food. Serena stayed silent in her corner arm chair as she scrolled through her phone.

"Why not?" Mina whined when I wouldn't disclose my relationship status. "You and Serena are the exact same." My eyes flitted over to Serena's now rigid form. "She was dating some guy before, but refused to tell us who."

"You guys broke up?" Ami asked.

Serena's eyes darted to me and left just as quickly. "Yeah, he was an ass."

I had to fight the urge to—well—fight with her over that statement. Everything in me screamed to argue with her, but I remained calm.

"You seemed like you were falling in love with that guy," Ami replied.

"Yeah, I've never seen you so happy," Raye added.

Serena's face turned red and she buried herself in her phone again. "Yeah, well," was all she said.

Her friends decided to drop the topic and moved to other discussions. When I stole another glance at Serena she seemed to be—what?—crying? _That can't be right. She should be over me_.

The snow had stopped and I needed to find a way to expel some pent up energy; from anger or desire, I wasn't sure. I excused myself and went outside to shovel the cars out. I noticed the light in Serena's room had turned on and had to look away quickly when I saw that she was changing.

Aside from the photo she had sent me, I had never seen her like that. _Well, that's not true. I did see her in a bikini once, but things were different then_. I went back to my shoveling until I was called to go back in.

"Agent Shields! You're all frozen," Raye exclaimed. "Here, I'll warm you up." She attempted to help me out of my winter gear, but I assured her I was fine. Still, she retrieved a blanket and suggested that I get the seat closest to the fireplace.

Serena sat at the other end of the table and was engrossed in a conversation with Ami and Mina while Raye talked my ear off.

"Wow, you're dedicated to your job," Raye said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Raye nodded over to Serena. "You haven't moved your eyes from her."

Though she didn't hear our exchange, Serena's eyes moved up and met mine. I tried to give her a smile, but she moved back to her conversation.

I departed not long after that, and went to bed when I saw the last light go out. The alarm I had reset before turning in went off at 1 a.m. and I rushed to get my shoes and coat back on. When I reached the porch, I saw Serena looking over the frozen lake.

"Are you okay?" I asked out of breath. "What happened?"

Serena looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I set up an alarm to engage every night. It went off when you opened the front door," I explained.

She huffed and looked back to the lake. "I'm fine." I walked over to a nearby post and leaned against it. After a few minutes, she stood up, "Why are you still out here? I'm fine."

"I am sworn to protect you, Serena, so there's no way I'm leaving you out here in the cold in the middle of the night." I walked up to her, "And it's _really_ cold out here. Why don't I escort you back inside?"

Serena closed the distance between us and got her face up in mine, her index finger practically touching my nose, "STOP telling me what TO DO, Darien. And protect me? You're doing a bang-up job." She spun around and her shoulders started moving erratically. _Is she crying again?_

"Serena?" I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders. "Why do you have to make this so hard," I asked through clenched teeth.

She turned slightly, "What?"

"Forget it. I'll wait out here as long as you want," I said walking back to the post.

Serena followed me and just when I thought she was going to say something, she pulled me down for a kiss. The shock wore off quick and I responded eagerly, opening my mouth in invitation. Serena pressed her body to me, encasing warmth between us. When she pulled away, I was surprised when a whimper left my lips.

"I knew it," she said. "You've been lying to me all along."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She smiled and shook her head, "You kissed me back, but you said you didn't care about me."

I sighed and fought running my hand through my hair, "I never said I didn't care about you, Serena. Why would I say that when I lo—." I stopped short, "Uh, lost?—um, lost the…" I trailed off and saw that she was smirking.

"So, you're trying to tell me that if I kissed you again, you would stop me?"

"I'm not saying I would stop you, but—," I was cut off by Serena's lips capturing mine again. So many sensations washed over me and the small thought that I should, indeed, stop this was shoved to the back of my mind. However, I could feel things getting out of hand and held her away from me at arm's length. "We—we have to stop now. I can't—I can't," I tried to find a way to describe what I was feeling when Serena pressed her hip up between my legs.

"I know."

I gulped and nervously looked to my watch. "Listen, we can talk about this tomorrow, but you should go back to your room."

Serena tilted her head to the side with a flirtatious grin and gently shook her head. "I think I should go to your room."

"But my room is—," I stopped when Serena rose her eyebrows at me. "We can't do _that_."

"Oh, I'm not demanding anything," she reasoned. "Com'on, let's go."


End file.
